I did not surrender idealism when our only child was born, but rather I came to see the world and its strengths, flaws and dangers specifically in terms of her future. Before the birth of my daughter I entertained all kinds of ideas as to how the world is and how it should be and all the various reasons why. And much like Don Quixote, I tilted at many a windmill. But when our … [Read more...]
Saudi Women and the War on Terror
Saudi Women and the War on Terror by Mike Kelvington In the masculine-driven nation of Saudi Arabia, women are subordinate men and the state, yet, in the eyes of both, they serve as an important role within their society. Historically and contextually, the Saudi government sees women as weak and “depicted as needing to be protected, controlled, and guided within an … [Read more...]
Gay Porn Actor, German Spy, and… Undercover Terrorist
Gay Porn Actor, German Spy, and... Undercover Terrorist by Scott Faith Originally published in March 2017. Between Wikileaks, the recent US election, and the ever-unfolding domestic spying drama, intel agencies have been in the news a lot recently. The latest tranche of Wikileaks documents made me think of a story in the Washington Post I read a while back about an … [Read more...]
Is Vladimir Putin Really Dr. Moriarty?
We know ISIS is bad because it killed people in San Bernardino and Paris. We know Iran is bad because it’s still developing nuclear weapons. We know Russia is bad…because…well, didn’t Charlie Rose once say something about that? Or was it Seth MacFarlane? Either way, as Americans, we know there is a threat from Putin's Russia, but many of us (including, of course, Donald Trump) … [Read more...]
Muslim Veterans Speak Out, Part III: The War Within Islam
When it comes to terrorism, US foreign policy, US military operations, the true nature of Islam and the extent of Islamic radicalization, there are no shortages of opinions. As a survivor of the 9/11 attacks and a former US soldier, I certainly had my own. But when it came to discussing Islam intelligently, I had more questions than answers. Frustratingly, most interviews I’ve … [Read more...]
Why A New Organization Is Needed Within The Intelligence Community
Why A New Organization Is Needed Within The Intelligence Community by Kerry Patton “If you look back today over the last 25 years, it is a fact that we have had a progressive degeneration of our intelligence community in general; in particular in the field of human intelligence.” —Paul Bremmer _____ After the heinous attacks against the United States on 9-11-2001, the US … [Read more...]
Don’t Fear Islam, Fear “Prislam”
Don't Fear Islam, Fear "Prislam" by Christopher Paul Meyer In the wake of continued ISIS threats, the country is understandably concerned about when and where ISIS will strike in the US. Especially when there are 900 active investigations into ISIS-related activity in all 50 states. But since I gave away my Magic 8 ball when I was seven, my guess is as good as yours when … [Read more...]
Special Forces, Entrepreneurship: The P.A.C.E. Business Plan
To quote one of my more colorful and influential Special Forces instructors during the train up for SF selection, who we will call ‘Mike’, “Have a plan. And have a plan for your plan... because you are ignorant and your first plan sucks.” In the old days of Silicon Valley it was required to have a detailed business plan before pursuing external investment. However, in … [Read more...]
This Week’s “Under the Radar” Global News
Folks, I remember when System of a Down released, “B.Y.OB.” I remember driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, tanned from a day at the beach and a belly full of surf and turf while Serge Tankian screamed, “And we all live in a fascist nation!” That was 2006. I remember thinking I liked SOAD more for their music than for their astute grasp of political philosophy. On that … [Read more...]
The Ugly Truth About Torture
Morals are a construct. We are not born with them, we learn them based on societal agreed upon rules. We evaluate our standards against what is common. Morals change; what is acceptable today is unacceptable or not tomorrow and so forth. Before you get all riled up about whether or not someone was bent around the edges a bit in order to coerce information from … [Read more...]
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