Category Archives: Missile Defense

September 10, 2013—Beware the Scorpion’s “Tale” . . .

September 10, 2013—Beware the Scorpion’s “Tale” . . .

Remember the fable about the frog that gave a scorpion a ride across the river assuming he would be safe because if the scorpion stung him they would both die? But the scorpion stung him anyway, because that was “in his nature.” There’s a bit of an analogy to the dangers of dealing with most of the states of the Middle East. Read Full Story

September 3, 2013—The Hobgoblin of Little Minds?

September 3, 2013—The Hobgoblin of Little Minds?

For years, I misquoted Churchill as saying “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” . . . He may have, but if he did he surely would have credited Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote a century earlier, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines” apparently to argue against too much consistency and for new thinking and self-reliance. Whatever . . . recent U.S. policies will never be criticized for being too consistent—except in their inconsistency. Read Full Story

August 28, 2013—About that Reset . . .

August 28, 2013—About that Reset . . .

In 1785, Robert Burns wrote To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough, which contained these famous words: “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often awry, and leave us nothing but grief and pain for promised joy!” Those words aptly describe the misplaced confidence in the Obama administration’s touted “reset” strategies on a number of fronts—and lay a challenge for new “resets” to replace them. Read Full Story

August 23, 2013—On El Sisi’s Democracy . . .

August 23, 2013—On El Sisi’s Democracy . . .

General Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s 2006 Army War College Thesis on Democracy in the Middle East is worth a read to help understand how events in Egypt may unfold. While the military’s support for the moderate faction of the Egyptian body politic that protested against Mohammed Morsi’s rule is a welcome sign, his thesis includes some troublesome statements that raise questions about the future. Read Full Story

August 20, 2013—A Republic, If You Can Keep It!

August 20, 2013—A Republic, If You Can Keep It!

When Benjamin Franklin exited the 1787 Constitutional Convention, he was asked what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.” This is still our challenge today, since many seem uninformed of critical differences between a republic and a democratic government, which historically has eventually failed the nations that adopted it—as we just witnessed in Egypt. To preserve our way of life, we must return to the views of our founders, and shore up all three legs of Ronald Reagan’s stool—economic conservatives, social issue conservatives and foreign policy/defense conservatives. All three legs need help, especially our defenses because existential threats are more eminent than most realize. Read Full Story

August 16, 2013—Exposing State Legislators to the EMP Threat

August 16, 2013—Exposing State Legislators to the EMP Threat

Earlier this week as part of the EMP Coalition, I carried the High Frontier flag to The National Council of State Legislators (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Atlanta. Legislators from all over the country were in attendance. We were there especially to call attention to the initiative by Andrea Boland (D-Maine) to begin hardening the electric power grid in Maine. She led numerous panel discussions of the existential EMP threat from natural and man-made causes, and how other representatives can follow Maine’s lead as the first state in the nation to take matters into its own hands, given the failure of federal leaders “to provide for the common defense,” per the oath they swore to Constitution. The prospects look promising! Read Full Story

August 13, 2013—Definitely a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing!

August 13, 2013—Definitely a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing!

As is clear from a recent video, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is proud of shepherding a major expansion of Iran’s uranium enrichment programs, a decade ago while leading Iran’s negotiations with the West—consistent with the continuing objectives and policies of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These policies call for destroying the “little Satan” Israel and the “great Satan” America. His implied approach, which many describe as “moderate,” actually promises more of the same under Khamenei, as Iran approaches—possibly within months—a uranium and/or plutonium nuclear capability. While a softer diplomatic approach from than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s bombastic pronouncements, Western leaders should expect no different bottom lines as time runs out on preventing a nuclear armed Iran. Read Full Story

August 7, 2013—Whither Goeth the  Dog Days of Summer?

August 7, 2013—Whither Goeth the Dog Days of Summer?

In these “dog days of summer” and with congress out of town, intelligence warnings have provoked an unprecedented closure of our embassies and consulates, associated overseas travel alerts, and presumably preparations to deal with jihadi attacks at home and abroad. These sobering events suggest it is time to reconsider our policies for dealing with jihadi terrorists and protecting the American People at home and abroad against failures of past policies—especially in view of the dysfunctional features of the Federal Government that prevent the common defense called for by the Constitution. Read Full Story

August 2, 2013—Former CIA Director Warns about the Existential EMP Threat.

August 2, 2013—Former CIA Director Warns about the Existential EMP Threat.

Last Monday, President Bill Clinton’s Director of Central Intelligence, R. James Woolsey; Dr. Peter Pry, who leads the Task Force on National and Homeland Security; and I joined in a discussion of the existential threat of a natural or nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The event, sponsored by the newly established EMP Coalition—of which Mr. Woolsey is the Honorary Co-Chair along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich—is summarized here, by clicking below. A YouTube video of the 2-hour conference is included. Read Full Story

July 30, 2013—Orwellian Logic on Steroids?

July 30, 2013—Orwellian Logic on Steroids?

George Orwell, in a classic novel we read in what now seems was a very different land, wrote about how “doublethink” and other devices could confuse and mislead the citizenry, while unsavory powers gain and retain power. We find current examples of how we are being misled, whether ignorantly or by design, into not recognizing threats to our freedoms and our very existence. These methods can become menacing—even to High Frontier—as they are being powered by more and more intrusive applications of modern technology. We must guard our liberty in such times as this—including in identifying existential threats and defending against them. Read Full Story