It is difficult to write these words. But the War on Drugs has been a colossal failure. Recently reflecting on my own participation in this war, as a Continue Reading
James Gagliano
The Historical Context We Pretend Shouldn’t Apply
This article first appeared in The Havok Journal in August 2017. The message of historical context mattering is timeless. ___________ In the wake of Continue Reading
Earn This: The 9/11 Reflections of an FBI Special Agent at Ground Zero
Prologue "Earn This..." I have a story to relate to you, and humbly submitted, it's quite compelling. It centers on the days and the weeks I spent in Continue Reading
Retired FBI Executive to Black Lives Matter: Let’s Meet in the Middle of Some “Hard Truths”
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on April 10, 2017 and is just as relevant today. Greetings, Black Lives Matter. Please allow me to introduce Continue Reading
Stop Coddling and Start Building: Why Removing Stress Hurts Future Leaders
In a Sports Illustrated interview with S.L. Price that published in January of 2008, Rick Majerus, the legendary former head basketball coach at the Continue Reading
A Former FBI Agent’s Open Letter to “Sanctuary Cities”
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on March 10, 2019. Author's Note: This is an open letter to the City of Newburgh, New York elected officials Continue Reading
Lies, Healthcare, Partisan Politics, and Doing the Right Thing
Originally published on March 26, 2017. The message is just as important today. Doing what is right is often at odds with doing what is politically Continue Reading
99.55% of Americans Need to Own Their “Privilege”
I am privileged. As a defendant, I wish to stipulate to that fact again: I...am...privileged. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Continue Reading
Careful When Indicting an Entire Group for the Actions of a Few
This article first appeared in The Havok Journal on August 21, 2017. ___ How could they be so stupid? I thought to myself, and emitted an audible Continue Reading
The Asinine Case of “Cultural Appropriation”: How the “Grievance Industry” Got Its Groove Back
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on May 19, 2017. Hillary Clinton wasn't the biggest loser in the 2016 presidential election. The Democratic Continue Reading
Hostage Rescue in the Age of ISIS
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on May 9, 2019. ______ Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare, there are no Continue Reading
Fact, Fiction, and the FBI: Why You Need to Rethink What You “Know” about J. Edgar Hoover
It was just a week after Christmas in 2013. I had abruptly departed my post in México City as the FBI's Acting Legal Attaché and was on a 90-day Continue Reading