Iraq and Roll: My Rock Band in the Desert (Part 1)
A new Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve, I had the unfortunate luck of lacking a military assignment or unit to call my own. Like an unwanted orphan, I transitioned through my first training courses, unsure of whom I belonged or to where I was to finally report. My only contact with Army personnel (other...
Army Brat: Growing Up Military
High school was officially over and I was adamantly opposed to being affiliated with the military, any longer. Then again, I was adamantly opposed to anything my parents were involved with. This included the military, going to college, and of course, Republicans. It did not help that I had been an Army brat the last...
Eagles in Afghanistan: My Year Deployed With the 101st Airborne Division
I was more concerned with getting to my final destination, wherever it was, and finally getting more than a few minutes of sleep after days of travel, than anything else. I left Ft. Benning on a Friday, flying to Europe first, then various countries within the Middle East, to make it to Afghanistan. It was...
Obama Pulls No Punches in Assessment: Pakistan’s Fault for Afghanistan’s Troubles
Tuesday’s release of the Obama Administration’s biannual assessment to Congress, revealed their growing frustration in Pakistan’s inability to reign in insurgent activity. Previous reports from the White House have lauded Pakistan on it’s efforts to stamp out activity along the Afghan Pakistan border, or justified lack of action due to the flooding in northwestern territories,...
Buffett in Bamyan: Billionaire’s Quest to Save Afghanistan
I recently had the pleasure of adventuring through parts of Afghanistan with the son and grandson of famed investment billionaire, Warren Buffett, in order to gain insight on possible agricultural investment opportunities by foreign capitalists. With agricultural development playing a key factor for the US and its allies’ plan for stability in Afghanistan (and their...
Internet Insurgency: Using Social Media as a Weapon
A recent news release identifying California-based security firm Ntrepid as the winner of a US Central Command (CENTCOM) contract for ‘fake’ social profiles, has raised concerns of privacy issues for many US citizens. The $2.76 million contract will give select Department of Defense (DOD) personnel the ability to create online personas that match their regional...
Underlying Threat: China Using Japanese Tsunami to Surpass U.S. Economy
There is no doubt about it, Japan’s crisis is our crisis. One of our closest allies is currently doing its best to quickly recover from the effects of the tsunami, which is reported to have claimed the lives of over 10,000 Japanese citizens and displacing thousands more. In order to mitigate the immediate risks of...
3rd Party Rising: The Modern Whig Party is Back With A Vengeance
It is a little known fact in American History (thanks to our great educational system…), that today’s political parties were not always the dominant forces they are currently. In fact, the Republican Party we know today was the result of another reigning political party’s fall from power. From the birth of the United...
Bad PR Strains the US & Pakistan Relationship
Pakistan’s normally silent Army officials are in outspoken uproar over an alleged US drone strike Thursday, killing over 30 innocent civilians and police. Pakistani military officials released the statement that,”Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, strongly condemns the Predator strike carried out today in North Waziristan resulting into loss of innocent lives.” While official...
Owning Your Community: A Review of Social Network Sites
Social media has now permeated almost every aspect of our lives, providing us with one-stop shops for news, media, business, and a way to keep in contact with friends and family. Consider this, almost every person you know is a member of at least one of these networks. That being said, social networking still...