What I Think About What Other People Say (WITAWOPS)

I mourn USAID the way we knew it. The agency that I worked for a decade has essentially disappeared, with only a fraction of it reincarnated and subsumed into the State Department. I empathize with all my former USAID colleagues, contractors, grantees, sub-grantees, recipients, project beneficiaries, vendors, and suppliers in the United States and around the world. All of you are economically and emotionally harmed. The battle will ensue in the Courts and in the end, Congress will have no choice but to act (see my January 4 post explaining this locus of power). The next incarnation of US Foreign Assistance will be skinny, laser-focused, more intertwined with U.S. Peace and Security, and obviously A.I.-driven. Disclaimer: the views expressed in this post are solely my own, published under my first amendment rights, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government or any of its current or former federal agencies. What Other People Say Designed by  Freepik “Aft...

“There are other forces in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it, and that is an encouraging thought.” — Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring What Do I Think? Gandalf’s words to Frodo reflect an age-old debate: Are we merely playing out a script that has already been written, or do we have the power to shape our own destinies? The struggle between free will and predestination is not just a historical theological debate—it is playing out in society and governance today. It impacts how we interpret success and failure, in how we justify actions, and out day-to-day decisions. Designed by Freepik Christianity has long been divided on this question. Strict Calvinists embrace predestination, the idea that God has already determined who will be saved and who will be damned. In contrast, strict Arminians believe in free will, asserting that while They know what we will choose, the Almighty ...

News 1 : A ruthless and determined enemy force of 30 to 40 fighters attacked the U.S. base at 5:20am. In just a few minutes, the U.S. sustained three casualties. A U.S. Army specialist was killed when a rocket propelled grenade destroyed a truck he was driving. Two contract pilots died when their plane caught fire during take off after it was barraged by small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade. The enemy force destroyed six U.S. aircraft, one allied aircraft, several vehicles, and other property. The U.S. and its ally engaged the enemy fighters for several hours before they withdrew leaving behind six dead. News 2 : The desert wind whipped sand against the canvas of the supply canvas cover. The U.S. sergeant squinted, his eyes watering, as he guided his string of camels through the treacherous terrain. The humped animals, though stubborn, were faring better than the exhausted mules they'd replaced to haul military supplies. A sudden, sharp crack echoed across the hills, foll...

Consider these three quotes, each regarded as the word of God within their respective religious traditions: "inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the scriptures. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction." “And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and oppression is worse than killing.”  “Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” Image by macrovector on Freepik . Before you scroll down to identify the sources (think spoiler), consider what they collectively mean and imply.  What Do I Think When it comes to understanding sacred texts, I find myself navigating between three perspectives. First, that these texts are not exactly what God revealed but rather what men (intentionally gender-specific here, since religious scholars and leaders have historically been male) have altered over time to serve their own interests...

"All the world's a stage" monologue from As You Like It by William Shakespeare (Act II, Scene VII): "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. His acts being seven ages.  At first the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail, unwillingly to school.  And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow.  Then a soldier, full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard. Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel. Seeking the bubble reputation, even in the cannon’s mouth.  And then the justice, in fair round belly, with good capon lined. With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws, and modern instances;  And so he plays his part.  The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon. With ...