Take it from someone who worked on Capitol Hill: DC Statehood was always one of those causes every Democrat in congress would get behind knowing it had zero chance of passing. The question is if 2021 is any different. With the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement and increasing engagement of Black voters, along…
Name-Calling Veterans: How Trump’s remarks are different from others he’s made and why it matters
I joined the Army late in life, at the age of 42. In announcing this decision, the first question I’d get was, “Why?” While I feared my answer would sound hokey, I told the truth: because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and to have a larger impact. It wasn’t until…
Police Brutality and the Art of De-Escalation
de•es•ca•late [de-es-kuh-leyt] verb (with or without object), to decrease in intensity, magnitude, etc. As a Social Work Officer at Fort Bragg, my primary mission was the Family Advocacy Program, the Army’s solution for addressing domestic violence. When recounting a domestic incident, I was struck by how Soldiers described what happened. They never said, “I was…
The New York Times Versus the Truth: How the media giant shut down warnings of Trump’s dangerousness
Published April 28, 2020 I’m the last person in the world who believes in conspiracy theories. So if anyone had told me what I read in Joshua Kendell’s article, “Muzzled by Psychiatry in a Time of Crisis: The Man in the White Coat, The New York Times and The Stifling of the Public Debate about…
Trump Dissected, a Series: Mirroring
Donald Trump is what I call “a cup with a hole in it.” No matter how much positive feedback you give him, he will keep needing more. Without it, he is empty.
Dear America: an unusual plea for help
If I sound desperate, I am. I’ve tried everything I can think of to reach you: reason, confrontation, repetition, humor. It’s not in my nature to give up. In fact, just thinking about it, depresses me. So, this time, I’m writing to ask for help. But it’s not the usual kind of help such as…
Magnificent Obsession: a plea to Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren to support Joe Biden
Hear me out. Please. If there’s one thing Americans can agree on it’s how divided we are. Theories abound as to why, mostly in the form of finger-pointing. Solutions from government officials, media consultants and civic leaders are bantered about like intellectual sport. The anger is palpable. I’m no politician but, as a former Army…
Impeachment: Right Idea, Wrong Remedy
I started writing this article back in July, 2019, right after Donald Trump “approved military strikes on Iran, then pulled back…” According to “The New York Times” (and other media outlets), “planes were in the air and ships were in position but no missiles had been fired…”¹ At the time, I wrote, “This breaking news,…
Ditch Your Inner Bully
You’ve just left a meeting or an evening out with friends. As you’re walking away, you feel a rush of anxiety. Then it shows up: that voice in your head – rehashing what happened, anticipating what will happen, second-guessing your actions, trying to mind-read others’ thoughts, calling you names and comparing yourself to others –…
All the President’s Men: in order to impeach Donald Trump, hold his inner circle accountable
In our media-driven culture of 24-hour news and rapidly breaking headlines, some say House Democrats are running out of time to make the case for impeachment. This is exacerbated – falsely, I think – by the looming Presidential election. One factor, however, political observers agree on is this: if held today, House Republicans would vote…
It's More Complicated Than You Think 