Power and privilege are not legal immunity to put America’s precious intelligence assets at risk “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” — Luke 12:48 I was in a Sensitive compartmented…

As a veteran, my memories of combat are strangely beautiful — “Maybe the ultimate wound is the one that makes you miss the war you got it in.” — Sebastian Junger War is a painful mistress. She gives you a taste of the purest love and brotherhood you can experience and then you may never see her again. I am not…

“There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” — Putin “Once a terrorist, always a terrorist.” — Everyone else Every superhero and every supervillain have an origin story. Understanding where someone came from can tell you a lot about where they are headed. Vladimir Putin has been a tyrannical terrorist for most of his adult life. He started his career in earnest as a Soviet Intelligence KGB officer, retiring…

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” — Unknown When it comes to stopping wars of aggression against innocent Allies, the United States has a history of doing too little, too late. Yes, we eventually get involved and pay a tremendous price for it, but let’s remember the facts about what waiting may cost us in the end. When…

Why the U.S. Constitution Matters Now, More Than Ever — Right now, U.S. news is full of dire predictions for America. Some pundits say our form of government faces an existential crisis. Some say democracy itself is nearing extinction. Some warn we are on the verge of another civil war — the one in the 1860’s remains the bloodiest conflict…

America’s Debt to Crispus Attucks and African Americans — On a snowy night in a Boston pub, sailors from a whaling ship gathered to swap sea stories over pints of beer. Some of the men had recently returned from the Bahamas and planned to set sail soon to North Carolina. A British soldier dropped in the bar and inquired…

Celebrating the Significance of Good Dads — “My child arrived just the other day, He came to the world in the usual way, But there were planes to catch and bills to pay, He learned to walk while I was away.” — Harry Chapin, “Cats in the Cradle” When my daughter was less than a year old…

How AI-Powered Bing and I Co-created this Blog Post — All views expressed here are my own personal views. As humans, the less we understand something, the more we tend to fear it. When something is unknown, uncertain, or unpredictable, we get anxious. Our minds leap to the worst-case scenarios, even if they are not probable or even possible. With…

Honoring Those Who Dare to Fight On this night twenty years ago, I was preparing to cross the border from Kuwait into Iraq. At the time I was not thinking about writing a book about my experience there. I was intensely focused on accomplishing our mission and bringing all my…