When a Fifth-Grader Gets It Retired Marine General and Trump chief-of-staff John Kelly said recently that, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was  “an honorable man who gave up his country to fight for his state.” Kelly’s statement tells us much about how he personally views the concept of honor. The idea of honor is anchored […]

Kennedy Dies President John Kennedy was riding in an open limousine through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, when he suffered a fatal gunshot wound. Kennedy was shot twice, the first round struck him in the upper back and exited near the adam’s apple while the second was a devastating head wound […]

And the Laugh’s on Zuckerberg Well, the Fall guiding season is in full swing in our Nation’s Capitol with adults here to see the sights and visiting eighth-grade students here to prevent them from doing it. Just kidding. Sort of. I have guided adult mid-westerners on a retirement getaway, perhaps even from the grand children, […]

Trump, Right and Wrong U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson was killed in action in Niger, one of four soldiers who died in an apparent ambush. The exact circumstances of his death remain in dispute as does the manner in which President Trump attempted to console his family including his wife Myeshia Johnson, and mother […]

He Came From The Desert The man called “Bruno” died Sunday, age 80, apparently with, as they say, “his boots on.” As chief of the Phoenix fire department and afterwards, he was a constant professional presence, lecturing to the four corners of the world. He spoke the gospel according to Alan and he amassed legions […]

“Lone Wolf, Anti-Social, God Complex” Paddock, who killed 58 and wounded nearly 500 in Vegas last weekend, apparently left no clear indication of the reason for his rampage. The FBI and others are investigating every aspect of his life and so far no motive has emerged. Perhaps one never will. According to the Bureau of […]

War needs neither cohesion, organization nor centralized purpose to levy a terrible price. Our American war is fought one-sidedly with high-capacity magazine weaponry made possible because of the “sacred” principle of unfettered gun ownership so, oddly, we fight simply for the right to maim and kill at will. Even more bizarre, in a nation which […]

Of Willy and Bernie Thanks to knowing the “right” people, for once in my life, I was able to attend the dress rehearsal for Arthur Miller’s legendary play, Death of a Salesman, at Ford’s theater this past week. Set mostly in New York City in 1948, there is precious little difference between Willy Loman’s world […]

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words Those dark splotches on the map, looking a little like coffee stains, outline the areas of Afghanistan under the control of either the Taliban (light gray) or ISIS (darker gray). They are mostly non-contiguous, floating zones where these groups have exerted enough muscle or influence to drive out government […]

Watering Washington Montgomery Cunningham Meigs, Quartermaster General of the Union Army during the Civil War, was the brains and driving force behind the creation of the 12-mile long Washington Aqueduct system which supplies water to the city to this day. The 9-foot diameter brick and mortar conduit begins near Great Falls on the Potomac river […]