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On the Gender Frontier

For thousands of years, the leadership of almost every organized hierarchy in civilization, including government, commerce and religion, has been almost exclusively male. There’s no way to determine precisely how men came to rule the world, but they did and they do. Female divinity was driven from shared eminence in the Western world by around…

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Driving the American Dream

A military salient is usually an advanced position jutting out into enemy territory. The word salient comes from the Latin verb to leap. Self-definition is a leap toward human progress.The military, police and religion are the top 3 of 4. That is surprising. I called the Congress correctly. Self-definition is one of the engines driving…

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Who Lost American Jobs?

The flood of election year distortion eventually recedes. When your mind’s made up, and you’re ready to tolerate any distortion as long as your side wins, recall Noah. Strive for truth and righteousness. Resist partisan oversimplification. Shun divisive distortion. Remember that the healthiest patriotism is grounded in facts, not partisan politics.

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In Praise of the Placenta

The connection between humanity and the nutritional abundance of our sacred planet is as indispensable as the placental connection between a mother and her child. The placenta has been described as the only disposable organ ever made. Civilization is also disposable. If the connection between humanity and civilization fails, our descendants will have no more chance of survival than a fetus disconnected from its placenta.

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The Doomsday Clock and Human Leadership

For dozens of centuries the aristocracy mocked and doubted the common people’s capacity to lead. Then came “We hold these truths to be self-evident … all men are created equal … they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights … among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” If you believe these words, then you own responsibility for human leadership now.

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Cooperating for America

Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton and Omar N. Bradley “were immensely ambitious.” So says The New York Times, reviewing the recently published summary of their relationship, “Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe,” by Jonathan W. Jordan. Like many politicians in Washington today, these three…

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Vox Populi in Zuccotti Park

The proverb “Vox populi, vox Dei” – “The voice of the people [is] the voice of God” – can be traced back to the eighth century, though earlier origins are probable. Yet the eighth-century version, considered in its entirety, actually meant the opposite of what most people think today. In a 798 A.D. letter to…

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Saved by the Sun

A Reuters exclusive posted by journalist Jim Wolf, “Orbital Solar Power Plants Touted for Energy Needs” http://blogs.reuters.com/jim-wolf, describes a fantasy project with the potential to provide civilization with energy for centuries to come. Indian and U.S. space scientists propose that power plants be placed in orbit to collect solar energy and beam it to Earth….

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In Defense of Chores

More effective national leadership and better weapons systems are less likely to assure the future of our nation than is the resurrection of chores. Chores are a voluntary cost-free resource for upgrading America. Chores Matter Chores are one of the most important chapters in the encyclopedia of parenting. Vital training is absent when a child’s…