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All Dads Don’t Fit into One Perfect Box: My Dad, The Dark Side, and the Gift of Forgiveness

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My father became a dad when he was just twenty years old. My mother was nineteen. Now that I am the same age my father was when he left this world, I find myself looking back through a different lens. I see things I couldn't see as a child. I see strengths. I see wounds. I see mistakes. Most importantly, I see humanity. My dad had a lot of anger in him when I was young. But he also had a remarkable ability to nurture curiosity, imagination, and creativity. I loved aviation as a child. Amelia Earhart was my hero. My very first book report was about her, and my dad helped me write it. He taught me about the history of flight. He took our family on educational adventures whenever we could afford them, places like Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright brothers first flew, and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in D.C. Math was difficult for me. REALLY difficult. My dad spent countless hours at the dining room table drilling flash cards with me. Later, he tried to help me under...
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May the Humanitarian Be With You

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As we get close to Star Wars Day, May the 4th... I’ve been thinking about something that feels just as divided as the galaxy itself: how we talk about care , justice , and responsibility to each other. Somewhere along the way in American culture, the words humanitarian, socialist, and communist got tangled together. People hear someone advocate for feeding children, expanding healthcare, or reducing poverty, and suddenly, labels start flying. But these terms are not the same. Not historically. Not politically. Not morally. And let's be real… confusing them says more about our fear than our understanding . What Is a Humanitarian? A humanitarian isn’t defined by an economic system. It’s defined by values. A humanitarian believes in reducing suffering, meeting basic human needs, and recognizing dignity in every person, regardless of politics, nationality, or status. People like Albert Einstein, Jimmy Carter, and even Jesus Christ are often cited in this space. This was n...
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A Civics Lesson (of sorts): The Overton Window, the “No Kings” Protests & What’s at Stake for 2026-2028

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I am taking a Criminal Justice class this semester, and my most recent assignment was on deviances. My Professor had commented on my paper and suggested I look at the Overton Window to see how these things play out in government.    The Overton Window refers to the range of public policy ideas considered acceptable by the mainstream at a given time. Ideas outside that window are viewed as radical, extreme, or unacceptable. Over time, politicians, activists, media, and interest groups work to shift that window left, right, up, or down, so that what once seemed radical becomes mainstream, and what once was mainstream may move toward the fringes. In the criminal-justice context (and more broadly in governance), shifting this window matters. If the window moves toward greater federal centralization and executive power, policies that expand federal government oversight and reduce local autonomy may become “reasonable” rather than exceptional. Conversely, if the window shifts towar...
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Apples & Oranges

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The orange may grab attention, but it will never age as gracefully as the apple. Some Trump supporters like to draw comparisons between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, especially around economics and ideology. On the surface, you might think they share the same conservative DNA. Both were Republicans. Both talked about cutting taxes, fighting inflation, and putting “America first.” But that’s where the similarities end. When it comes to how they spoke to Americans, led through crisis, and respected the weight of the office, we’re not comparing apples to apples. We’re comparing apples to oranges. In this case, Trump is the orange. The Tariff Talk That Said It All A video has resurfaced on YouTube that captures Reagan at his best: calm, measured, and deeply aware of how words can guide a nation. The clip, originally from 1987, shows Reagan addressing Americans about a temporary tariff he was forced to impose, a tough decision he explained with both history and humility. He didn’t rant. H...
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Learning to Be Human: What The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon Can Teach Us About Kindness in a Divided World

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In a time when politics, opinions, and identities seem to divide us more than ever, it’s worth revisiting two shows that quietly taught us how to live and love, beyond our differences, and maybe learn a thing or two about humanity and grace. The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon might appear to be comedies about eccentric geniuses and awkward social interactions, but at their core, they are masterclasses in humanity, empathy, and emotional growth. They remind us of something we often forget in today’s world: that being “right” isn’t nearly as important as being kind. A Tale of Two Worlds Watch the evening news or scroll through social media today, and it can feel like we’ve lost our ability to truly listen to one another. People shout instead of speaking, and insult instead of understanding. We’ve become quick to label, slow to forgive, and hesitant to admit that maybe, just maybe, we could learn something from someone different than us.  In contrast, The Big Bang Theory created a ...
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