Back Monday with a new TAT and yes, I've been on the road.
Back Monday with a new TAT and yes, I've been on the road.
TAT readers,
First and foremost, I have missed all of you in the past 10 days. I hope everyone is well, happy and ready again, to sort through all of the issues that present us with serious national security threats. Today’s short TAT is just to catch everyone up and to let you know what we’ll be looking at over the next few weeks.
Since the end of August, I have been on the road, all but three days. First was to load up my truck with tools, and head to California to help my son and family, remodel their new home. After driving back to San Antonio, I unpacked the tools and then… headed off to my 50th high school reunion in Urbana, Ohio, which is just 16 miles north of Springfield, Ohio. Springfield, where my hotel was, and the surrounding area is where I was raised and also where all of my father’s side of the family hails from. I know well and love this part of our nation. My truck and I have now seen both coasts, in the last three weeks. All my life, I have loved seeing our extraordinary country, via our highways. This month has been no different.
From Ohio, I traveled to the Boston, Massachusetts area, to meet with my publisher, universities and bookstores regarding my recently released book, Modern Day Minutemen and Women/ The Art of Influence, an Election Guide, published by The Athina Press. While that my book is available to everyone via the Athina Press or Barnes and Noble, this trip was to meet with bookstores and universities was about what are called, “adoptions.” For interested individual readers, I highly recommend the soft cover edition due to cost. The hardcover and so-called, “professor’s copy” is more expensive and of course, more beautiful to book lovers. Simply put, adoptions of this sort are about universities or similar entities, “adopting” a book as curriculum for their students. The trip was very promising and largely due to the fact that I’m bit of an oddity in my core profession of, influence in support of national security. I write and teach what no one else does.
Most universities and no national security entities, including the Pentagon and the majority of the IC/ Intelligence Community, teach what I built my career around. There are versions and variations, but true operators are very hard to find, and even fewer that are innovators with deep, personal experience. In my professional experience, this is the primary reason for our current, near fatal hyper partisanship and the global demise of democracy for the past four plus decades. I frequently write about this both here and professionally so no need to dive deeper into this topic today.
It just so happened that I was in Springfield just a couple of days after, the great, “Haitians eating pets” fiasco by Trump and JD Vance, who is also from near Springfield. Talking with locals in both Springfield and Urbana about their unwanted Trumpian notoriety, was beyond humiliating for them. Without exception, every person I ran into was humiliated, embarrassed by and scornful of Trump and Vance’s insanely dishonest conspiracy theories regarding local pets. There is more good news on the Trump/ Vance issue later, or maybe even tomorrow, time-permitting. For those interested, the local paper, The Springfield News-Sun has run an exhaustive and excellent series of articles, explaining the full spectrum of issues surrounding the tragically laughable conspiracy theories.
Our upcoming election in seven weeks from this coming Tuesday, is at the top of the list regarding threats that I will put “pen to paper” on, and for very good reasons. Of all the threats that face our nation and related global threats, not one can be addressed effectively if our nation isn’t led by those who believe in and strengthen our foundational, constitutional principles. Today’s Trump, MAGA dominated GOP not only doesn’t’ fit this definition, but they are laser-focused on irrevocably undermining those principles. Like the FBI’s proverbial, “most wanted,” Trump and MAGA are the number one threat to the nation.
We must also look at the rest of the top national security threats too. There is so much misunderstanding about other global issues that constitute threats to the US and our allies, The wars in Ukraine, Israel and aggression by China, along with her Axis of Evil, Russia, Iran and KJU in N. Korea etc. are on this list. Oligarchy, price-gouging, GOP lies about the border, a far-right SCOTUS, trade agreements, education, unfair tax structures etc. are all on the list of things to be sorted out. Of course, there will be the steady dose of other high-profile events and activities that will impose themselves on us too, like two-Republican attempts on Trump’s life.
As always, I will continue to bring you the opportunity to see truth via credible sources, that will always be linked within each TAT essay. As most of you already know, like our founders, I believe in a well and accurately informed citizenry, not political parties. No one can make a sound decision about anything, without credible information. This is even more essential when it comes to problem solving and managing threats. For the record, my definition of truth is: “all known facts, presented objectively and in context.”
As for now, it’s time to finish unpacking and begin considering what I’ll write about tomorrow. If you are a paid subscriber, never hesitate to insert recommendations into the comments of essays. If it is a topic that my experience can do justice to, I will take such recommendations into serious consideration.
It’s great to be back!
My best for what remains of your Sunday,
Paul