State

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to War

Today, President Obama announced that he will seek authorization from Congress for a military strike in response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, an act apparently committed by …

Church / Society

Ain’t it Swell to Finish Well

What can we learn from Martin Luther King Jr., George Costanza, Barack Obama, and King Jehoshaphat? Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech.  …

State

The Trouble with Swallowing Syria

WARNING: This is not an article about Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMAs on Sunday.  It is an analysis of a serious news story.  If you are looking for less …

Society

Lost in Austen Adaptations

While at the movies this past weekend, I saw a trailer for the new film Austenland, which apparently features Kerri Russell going to some sort of Jane Austen-themed resort in …

Church / Society

The Inevitability of Religion

Author’s Note: The following is a brief essay written back in 2011 which is only now being made public.  It is one of a series of such essays that I …

State

The CIA Fesses Up…60 Years too Late

Did you hear the big news? No, not that Bradley Manning wants to undergo hormone therapy and prefers for us to refer to him/her as Chelsea Manning.  That’s a somewhat shocking and …

State

A Bad Week to be Bo

While most of the news these days seems to be an endless train of unrelated tittle tattle, every so often two stories coincide in a way that sheds new light …

State

What Do NSA Violations Tell Us About The Nature of Government?

The Washington Post has been filled with revelations recently about an internal audit at the NSA which revealed thousands of violations of its privacy rules.  The linked article says the …

Church / Society

Niebuhr on the Road

It used to be that when I would go on a long road trip, I would spend most of my time listening to music, first on my portable CD player …

State

Egypt’s Never Ending Revolution

People often ask me what I think about the situation in Egypt, knowing that I worked for the Egyptian Press Office in Washington, D.C. through three and a half years …