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
Politics
The Alliance of Cowards
There is nothing quite as moving as the modern Western alliance in action, if by “in action” you mean standing in a tasteful semicircle, issuing Continue Reading
Signed for the slogan, invoiced for the consequences.
Last April, I looked at Iran’s eternal stadium chant of “Death to America” and reframed it as the geopolitical equivalent of a gym bro screaming “YOU Continue Reading
Working for Free in the Shutdown Season
Well, as of this morning, I am working for the government pro bono. I’m too “essential” to be furloughed but not valuable enough to be paid during a Continue Reading
Europe’s Security Subscription Just Went Full Price Under Trump
Europe has two religions: Symbolism and Someone Else Paying For It. So when Donald Trump waddles onto the world stage and starts yanking the Continue Reading
California’s Homelessness Money Cannon Still Can’t Hit a Target
California has a special talent. Not Silicon Valley “invent a future” talent. Not Hollywood “manufacture a reality” talent. I mean the rarer gift: the Continue Reading
A Day in the Life of a Coast Guardsman
2014 09 12 Friday The event started late in the afternoon. We received a rather vague notification that a vessel of interest (VOI) may be heading Continue Reading
Florida Cold Snap Triggers Emergency Response for Falling Iguanas
By Untactic Al Florida officials confirmed this week that an unexpected cold snap has caused thousands of iguanas to temporarily lose their grip on Continue Reading
When the Noise Drowns Out the Neighbors
Humans have been trying to figure out how to fly probably since the earliest ones first invented spare time. It was two Americans who finally got that Continue Reading
Useful Idiots Was the Method Not the Insult
The phrase “useful idiots” is often treated as a crude insult, something invented by Cold War critics to smear idealists who supported communist Continue Reading
Socialism Is the Road to Communism
After every account of communist failure, the same objection appears:“That wasn’t socialism. That was communism.” It sounds reasonable. It sounds Continue Reading
After the Revolution Wins, the Revolution Turns
Every revolution promises freedom.That’s the lie that gets people into the streets.What comes after victory is not freedom at all. It’s control. Continue Reading