‘El Chapo’ drug lord sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years

Notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán was sentenced Wednesday in a New York court to life in prison plus 30 years. Guzmán oversaw the Sinaloa Cartel, a massive drug-running operation that distributed narcotics throughout the United States. He was also something of a folk hero to some people for his multiple prison escapes. The […]

Op-Ed: Why Trump wins again in 2020

You don’t have to like it, but it’s coming: another four years of President Trump. His base has never been stronger, he’s got a massive war chest, and he has singular focus. The Democrats are eating themselves alive and the party is at odds with itself. Whatever side of the political spectrum you identify with, […]

Op-Ed: Nike trolls America for profit this 4th of July

News broke Tuesday that Nike cancelled its upcoming Betsy Ross flag-themed sneaker after a consultation with former American NFL quarterback and Nike spokesperson Colin Kaepernick, who told them that some people will find this product offensive because of its connection to an era of slavery. Reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Betsy Ross flag […]

From Navy SEAL to warbird pilot, flying across America in the Epsilon

My friend Glen (Navy SEAL/CIA, KIA in Benghazi, Libya in 2012) and I departed from Peoria, Illinois and started to pick up ice climbing through 4,000 feet just after losing communications with departure control. Fun meter pegged. I had purchased my first airplane in 2003, a little 1980 Cessna 172 and had this great idea […]

Op-Ed: This Washington Post article about encrypted communications did not age well

Looking back at this 2016 article from The Washington Post, one really shouldn’t blame them for their optimism regarding WhatsApp’s “end-to-end encrypted” capabilities. The encryption (e.g. security) behind WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is actually quite good at its core. But what couldn’t have been so easily predicted by the Post is what I’ll call the […]

America’s war drums beat for Iran

According to a recent New York Times article, high-ranking U.S. government officials have been briefed over the last few days on contingency plans for Iran, plans that include an invasion force equal to or greater than what it took to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. These war plans would introduce as many as 120,000 American […]

Op-Ed: Will South Korean soap operas bring democracy to the North?

A recent article confirmed to me something I was told about by a Special Forces sergeant major who once worked in Special Forces Detachment Korea. Today, people living in North Korea know what life is like in South Korea. In previous decades, North Koreans had been so brainwashed, they actually thought they were the lucky […]

Op-Ed: Are you prepared for the stress of life? If you’re swamped with debt, probably not

A recent Gallup poll revealed that Americans are among the most stressed people in the world. One of the largest factors? Personal finances related to income. This is true for military families, seemingly successful business owners, students, and masses of ordinary citizens. According to Gallup, “Income…plays a role with worry and stress, with the lowest […]

No, the US isn’t abandoning the Kurds in Syria

“The Kurds have no friend but the mountains,” as the old saying goes. Yet there are few mountains in Northern Syria, where the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) formed a coalition with Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The […]

8 Americans among those killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash today

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed just after takeoff Sunday morning, March 10. The flight was departing Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Abebba, en route to Nairobi, Kenya. Onboard were 157 people, of which eight were Americans. The Boeing 737 MAX, bearing 149 passengers and eight crew members according to a statement released by the airline, crashed six […]

Breaking: 8 Americans among those killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash today

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed just after takeoff Sunday morning, March 10. The flight was departing Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Abebba, en route to Nairobi, Kenya. Onboard were 157 people, of which eight were Americans. The Boeing 737 MAX, bearing 149 passengers and eight crew members according to a statement released by the airline, crashed six […]