President Biden and Democratic Bedwetting
All the angst and prognostications of gloom post-debate reveal a central reality most of the politically astute have always known. Democrats’ timidity to the point of near-paralysis is almost a…
People, Honor and Power
What the Marines I Led Taught Me Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, Republic of Viet Nam, 1968 (Combat Camera, Public Domain) Last Memorial Day, my neighbor and I—Vietnam era vets—were…
Focusing on What Really Matters…
There’s been a lot of ink spilled, recently, over the seemingly endless litany of problems confronting us as U.S. citizens. And no, it’s not all in your head. In 2024…
Like Wind I Go-A Short Story of Love and Loss
Iowa State Campanile Carillion Photo by Patrick Keep with our thanks The Campanile chimes the quarter hour. As though awakened by the bells, the autumn wind stirs, teasing my neck,…
Knolan Culture Versus Kurrithaali Culture
Different but Like... Among the first things most Kurrithäali (Earth) people will notice about the Knolans when they meet one for the first time is how similar they are to…
Romance-Dream Vs. Reality
Romance-Dream Versus Reality People who know me well know that my writing focuses on contemporary fiction and science fiction—both of which come at you with a dollop or two of…
Whiffing on What Really Matters?
We are as divided as we let ourselves be. I would love to say that U.S. citizens collectively can be relied on to reason from evidence to a thoughtful if…
At the Fringes of Empirical Scientific Method
In Praise of Science If you’re like me, you’re fascinated by the (at times) overpowering intellectual reach of the men and women working at the scientific frontiers. How could we…
Men This, Women That…Blah, Blah, Blah…
Can we stop, already? Gender Polemics, anyone? There’s been a lot of back and forth on gender roles lately, on Medium, one of the online platforms to which I contribute.…
Confronting Our Dual Nature
Humans...the rational animal? I don’t remember the first time I heard being human characterized as being “the rational animal.” Aristotle, it is said, argued that man is “a creature distinguished…