Category: Government Studies
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Derek Jeter vs Rudy Giuliani
After three long weeks of high profile media appearances, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received this warm welcome from his hometown crowd. https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1001216940365430784 He sought cover from the public rebuke by saying of New Yorkers, ‘They boo you when they love you,’ logic that doesn’t quite square with this round of boisterous huzzahs…
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48 Stars for Memorial Day
Thousands of bikers will roar into DC this weekend, rolling thunder to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who, for one reason and another, participated in the aggression we call the Vietnam War. Little notice will herald the sacrifice of those whose land was destroyed by that aggression, whose lives irrevocably changed—but anti-war thoughts…
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Answer Coming Soon
When I feel ornery about the state of world affairs, I turn to Dan Whitman for a cure. Because he gifted me a large stack of his books, he doesn’t always know this. Whitman’s essays reflect on wide-ranging issues for the foreign affairs professional. They cut across decades (mostly post World War II) and continents…
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The Impact of Public Diplomacy
Reflecting on U.S. Diplomacy. An excerpt: The next-to-last time I saw Mohamed—11:15 a.m., December 6, 2004—a blast-resistant window separated us. The day’s final applicant, he was alone in the waiting room when the high-low alarm started wailing. An Afghan male taking refuge in Saudi Arabia from the time of the Soviet invasion of his country,…
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All Steeple, No Church
Does this structure look like a steeple with no church? My son thought so. Driving to the Nation’s capital on a beautiful spring morning, I pointed it out from the distant heights across the Potomac on the George Washington Parkway. This white symbol of the Republic can be seen for miles. The seven-year-old meant little…
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Take Your Child to Work Day
My favorite work day of the year. The cafeteria never seems so alive. The visitor hall buzzes with energy. At State our children take the same oath of service—to uphold the constitution—that we took when we came on board. “I stachername, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United…
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A List of People Who Also Should Be Armed
Amid all the fury and debate over whether or not to arm high school teachers in order to prevent the next deadly shooting spree, several relevant employment categories are being overlooked. A review of other recent abuses of heavy firepower in public places suggests the United States can only protect itself from itself by requiring itchy…
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The NRA’s Chosen People
As I watched Charlton Heston lead the chosen people out of Egypt last night I wondered: in a remake of The Ten Commandments, would Ted Nugent play Moses? Nugent, whose awful music from the 1970s apparently qualifies him to talk down to us about such weighty matters as constitutional law, seems to be the NRA’s…
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Eddie Eagle vs Joe Camel
I was perusing NRATV—yes, the NRA broadcasts 24 hours a day!—to choose my favorite ‘freedom and firearm-related programming’ for the afternoon. Did I want to hear Dan Bongino crack the code and expose ‘the real agenda‘ behind March for Our Lives? Or would I rather get to know why Dana Loesch* thinks, in her simpleton’s binary,…
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March
This month we march. This month, we show our strength by taking to the streets. This month we demand action—not thoughts, not prayers, not false heroes—we demand action to prevent another mass murder by gunfire. You will know the brave ones as we march unarmed. And you will know the cowards by their callous, pandering,…
Ben East Books 