Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
Many criticize American politics as broken, but misidentify the cause of the problem. The problem isn’t that the Founding Fathers failed to anticipate that bad men (and back then, they were only concerned with men) might win power. They anticipated this possibility, and designed the Constitution to address it through the separation of powers between … Continue reading The Founding Fathers’ Design Didn’t Fail
If you’re an American, you might be feeling sick, angry, and helpless right now. You see injustice and wrongdoing on your screen seemingly every day. One outrage after another. And you wonder what you can do and if you can possibly make a difference. These kinds of feelings are natural. I feel them too, as … Continue reading Democracy is the Answer
In December of 1955, a young Alabama pastor who had been on the job for just a year agreed to lead a citywide bus boycott. One of the reasons that much older and more experienced activists and leaders picked the young clergyman for this position was because being new in town, he hadn’t yet had … Continue reading You Can Make A Difference (in memory of MLK Jr.)
LANDMAN is the latest hit television series from writer-director Taylor Sheridan. Like the highly successful podcast it was based on, Boomtown, LANDMAN tells the story of oil and gas extraction in the Permian Basin of Texas. The shale boom in 21st century America is a pretty amazing story on its own (one which my book … Continue reading LANDMAN and Masculinity
In Part 1, I laid out my analysis of President Donald Trump and the petty nature of his evil. But in recent months, his evil has taken a dangerous and disturbing turn. On September 23, during a White House press briefing, he was asked: “Win, lose, or draw in this election, will you commit here, … Continue reading Voting For Donald Trump’s Re-election is an Evil Act
There are many more Americans today (June 29, 2020) that are vocally supporting the fight against racial discrimination than there were on May 24. While this development is welcomed by most long-time activists, it’s only human that some of them might think silently to themselves, “It’s about damn time.” It’s natural and intuitive to resent … Continue reading Why You Should Welcome Bandwagon Jumpers And Fair-weather Friends
Author Tom Nichols points out the dissonance between Donald Trump and the masculine virtues of the Greatest Generation that he ostensibly admires so greatly. While I too find President Trump’s behavior repugnant, I think that concluding that his behavior is only possible because of some kind of flaw in modern culture is an example of … Continue reading Trump & McCarthy
I like to write about and advocate for diversity and inclusion. But what diversity advocates often forget or ignore is the importance of emphasizing what we have in common, in addition to what makes us different. The old-fashioned description I grew up with of America as a “melting pot” is seldom used today. I think … Continue reading Diversity of Experience and Ideas, Shared Values and Goals
On America’s Independence Day, it’s worth considering the role of trust and distrust. Distrust caused the British government to pass laws to better control its colonies. Distrust caused a political contest to turn into a shooting war. Trust allowed the various states to come together. Trust allowed the Americans to grant George Washington the power … Continue reading Trust Makes Our Lives Better
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It’s probably hard for us to imagine, from our modern perspective, how revolutionary these 35 words were. When the Declaration … Continue reading 35 Words