What I Think About What Other People Say (WITAWOPS)

We live in a state with rules and those rules guarantee certain freedoms. When put together, some interpret those collective freedoms as sovereignty and what better way to demonstrate ultimate sovereignty than to build and run your own city?  Source: ChatGPT, 10/9/25 Is there really a substantial difference between the 1980s Oregon desert city of Rajneeshpuram and the 2020s Texas coastal flats city of Starbase? If you need a quick refresher on Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the city he legally incorporated in Oregon, read my February 15, 2025 post .  What Do I think I believe they are inherently the same and a precursor of more to come. Cities normally grow organically in that people settle, attract people, jobs, arts, and culture, and then eventually incorporate for self-governance. But both Rajneeshpuram and Starbase were born out of visions from their leaders: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and Elon Musk. There was no natural evolution. Sure, the labels are different: religious leaders...

The Supreme Court added another shovel of dirt on USAID's coffin, now more than 6 feet under (see my earlier  obituary ). This post articulates another of USAID’s many little-known accomplishments in Kenya (read about the first one about thwarting politicians and constitutional change here ). Peace and Security in Kenya: The USAID Approach , is now available in paperback and e-book at your favorite bookstore. Please also ask your local library to order it too. “We found an institution so frail in its structures; so thin on resources; so low on its confidence; so deficient in integrity; so weak in its public support that to have expected it to deliver justice was to be wildly optimistic. We found a judiciary that was designed to fail.” —Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, “Progress Report on the Transforma- tion of the Judiciary: The First 120 Days,” speech, Nairobi, Kenya, October 19, 2011 What Do I Think  The 2007/2008 postelection violence in Kenya was triggered by the “massively ...

Having worked on a number of environmental analyses for airports in the early 2000s, I continue to track interesting cases. I am also exploring the limitations of ChatGPT. Several months ago, I learned (thanks to my teenager) the difference between my writing and ChatGPT’s. More recently, colleagues have insisted that ChatGPT 5.0 is much better. So I am putting it to the test.  Below are two versions of the same story. One is mine. The ChatGPT prompt was: “for my blog, witawops.blogspot.com, write a piece in my style on the dissenting opinion in this case . Leave a comment indicating which is mine and which is AI’s. 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. Version 1.0 “Does anyone doubt that this Environmental Analysis would not see the light of day if this project were sited anywhere near the we...

Even Shane knew you can’t run from who you are, and violence—no matter the reason—leaves a permanent mark. Shane is the protagonist of a 1949 book by Jack Shaefer set in 1889 Wyoming. He is the basis of a movie (1953) and TV series (1966) and debuted on stage circa 2023. I saw the play this week in Ashland, Oregon.  This south central Oregon city has a long-standing nexus to theater. Because of its architecture, it became the site of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1935 and is now among the largest repertory theaters in the U.S., drawing half a million visitors each year. “A man’s got to be what he is, Joey. Can’t break the mold. There’s no living with a killing. There’s no going back from one. Right or wrong, it’s a brand. A brand sticks.” Shane (1953), dir. George Stevens. Joey (Bob in the book) is a young boy who serves as the audience’s eye in the play. However, in the book, Bob is an adult narrating the story from his childhood.  Image by Freepix  What Do I think ...

Most of the world celebrates labor day on May 1st. Ironically, the U.S. doesn't even though the impetus for the day originated in Chicago. Why is this the case and why does Canada follow suit? “This is a day of dedication. It is a day on which America salutes her workers, not with the blare of guns, but with the recognition of honest toil.” -- Woodrow Wilson (1916, Labor Day address in Buffalo, NY) After the Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886, May 1st became associated with the international labor movement. The map shows the countries that observe it on May 1st.  World map highlighting countries that observe May 1st Labor Day.  Generated with OpenAI’s ChatGPT (DALL·E), August 29, 2025. Notice Canada and the U.S. stand out: they sidestepped May 1st as an official holiday to avoid the socialist/communist associations with the day. Ask A.I or start here for more information.  As you enjoy the end of the northern hemisphere summer or the southern hemisphere winter, empathize...

Many people think that in following well-established rules and policies, government officials don't have to make difficult business decisions. That is not true. Sometimes they do because of competing interests. Here is one example of a decision that FEMA has to make.  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. The material used below is all in the public domain, as published by FEMA in August 2025.  Because of the interaction between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in Oregon and the Endangered Species Act, FEMA will select from one of three alternatives they have analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  Here is FEMA's own summary of the impacts of those three alternatives (Source:  https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_r10_oregon-nfip-eis-br...

The 40-day mourning period for USAID has passed (see my earlier obituary ). This post articulates one of USAID’s many little-known accomplishments.  “I want to emphasize the unwavering determination of the United States to push for and support implementation of the reform agenda. President Obama and Secretary Clinton believe strongly that Kenya must seize this historic opportunity to bring about fundamental change. . . . The constitution is, in many respects, the sine qua non of the reform process. Without a new constitution, implementation of other reforms will not prove sufficient to steer the country in the right direction. If a new constitution is put in place, then implementation of other reforms, along with the new constitution, will help ensure future democratic stability and prosperity.” —Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, “Reform, Partnership, and the Future of Kenya,” speech, American Chamber of Commerce, Nairobi, January 26, 2010.  What Do I Think: A constitution is a ...

During my recent visit to Portugal, I struggled to see any evidence that Muslims had lived in, governed, and expanded the country. This rich history was painted over with several coats and labelled as “medieval”.  The Spanish and Portuguese called them Moors; they were in fact Muslims from North Africa who crossed over the Mediterranean and settled in Al-Andalusia (Iberian Peninsula). They left us significant elements that we cherish today, including the Al-Hambra and the grand mosques of Cordoba and Seville. They also left things we use every day but don’t recall their origin: medicine, baths, architecture, science, and art. Muslims governed for over 500 years; they built, wrote, irrigated, walled, created knowledge, and ruled until they were expelled in 1249. The Jews were expelled two centuries later.  Sintra I started in Sintra, 30km (19 miles) from Lisbon. Sintra has a highly effective and unique micro-climate. Several old palaces dot the landscape, many featured in movie...

I don’t think Michela Wrong was comparing me to the devil (or at least I hope not). But I was responsible for helping an accomplished author distribute a book, helping her to let go, and as a bonus, having her eat crow!  What Other People Said "[Galeeb] was already hard at work, pulling together a multi-pronged distribution operation to bypass a gagged retail industry… As a devout atheist and hardened aid sceptic, I’m aware of the acute irony of being thus beholden both to the churches of Kenya and a US development agency. But I’m happy to eat crow. My critics will no doubt mutter darkly about CIA plots, but I wouldn’t mind if the Devil himself wanted to distribute It’s Our Turn to Eat. I am rather more concerned about the agenda of those who were determined to ensure no Kenyan ever got to read a book on sale across the globe. But knowing that 5,200 copies of my book—for that is what it will be—have reached the wananchi will allow me to let go." Source: Michela Wrong, “Advent...

People have developed something quite amazing and somewhat scary. It answers questions, speaks in full paragraphs, generates drawings (like many of the ones I use for my posts), drives cars, writes code, analyzes traffic and adjusts signals in real-time, and can even imitate voices. It’s called Artificial Intelligence for a very important reason: it mimics thinking and appears, on the surface, as anthropogenic intelligence. But it is obviously not. It is artificial, created by non-human machines and code.  I have a science degree (systems engineering) and a religious studies degree (Islamic studies). So what happens when I put the A.I. system through a religious lens?  Old Testament / Hebrew Bible But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they wil...

True peace is born through humanitarian services. My journey began with the United States Peace Corps (USPC)—the toughest job I ever loved.   This is my story.  As a student studying at Northeastern University, I worked at the Institute of International Studies as a work study. While working there, I made some amazing friends from all over the world, the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America.   My friends spoke about their amazing lives in their respective countries. I learned about their beautiful cultures, languages, histories, and families. The one continent that inspired me was Africa.   I majored in Management Information System/International Business and like a typical South Asian, I was supposed to work in an information technology company after graduation. But my heart wanted to do humanitarian work in Africa.   How could I do this? I decided to apply to the USPC. In the summer of 2002, after graduation I was accepted into the US Peace Corps in a small co...

This post presents verbatim excerpts of a Department of State Office of Inspector General Inspection Report on Kenya in 2012. I did not make them up. Please visit the page https://www.stateoig.gov/reports , enter Kenya in the first field (Keyword of Phrase), select “inspection” in the Category drop down, and open the August 2012 ISP-I-12-38A report (not the 2018 report). Enjoy. The Ambassador has lost the respect and confidence of the staff to lead the mission. Of more than 80 chiefs of mission inspected in recent cycles, the Ambassador ranked last for interpersonal relations, next to last on both managerial skill and attention to morale, and third from last in his overall scores from surveys of mission members. The inspectors found no reason to question these assessments; the Ambassador’s leadership to date has been divisive and ineffective. The Ambassador has damaged the cohesion of Embassy Nairobi’s country team by underscoring differences between offices working directly with Kenya...

I met Sudan—the world’s last male northern white rhinoceros—at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya in 2009. He had recently been relocated from a zoo in the Czech Republic, in a last-ditch effort to breed him naturally. I had just arrived in Kenya myself, representing the U.S. government through USAID, and embarking on a number of exciting projects.  Sudan lived another nine years before a leg infection made it impossible for him to stand. At 45, he was euthanized. For me, he is a symbol of our power over other species although at one point, the dating app Tinder dubbed him the world’s “most eligible bachelor.” ( CNN ) Photo of me with Sudan, Ol Pejeta, 2009 (real, not generated) Sudan was a northern white rhino, a distinct subspecies now functionally extinct. Only two females remain—his daughter and granddaughter—both also at Ol Pejeta. In contrast, the southern white rhino population has rebounded from around 100 in the early 1990s to nearly 20,000 today across Africa, tha...

The White House has a dark history. Should it really be called white? And no, the inhabitants of Easter Island did not commit ecocide. What Other People Say “"I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves”, Michelle Obama, former first lady at the Democratic National Convention Speech, 2016 “In just a few centuries, the people of Easter Island wiped out their forest, drove their plants and animals to extinction, and saw their complex society spiral into chaos and cannibalism.” Diamond Jared, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, 2005  What Do I Think? I need to be more intentional about absorbing, remembering, and using facts that are rooted in actual historical narratives—not just the ones that are convenient or popular. AI-generated composite image by ChatGPT (2025). Unbury — Who really built the White House?  Looking back, it should’ve been obvious. Construction of the White House began in 1792, on land ceded by Virginia and Maryland—two slavehold...

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...