People typically imagine the DC area as a landscape littered with imposing monuments, but I've been here a quarter of a century and am still discovering it's wooded beauty

For many years, I was the director of graduate programs for local, state, and federal law enforcement professionals in the DC area, and here's my hot take on what such professionals need most before they're allowed to exercise the awesome power of the state over the lives of everyday people.

Waiting for Hasan Hates Ronny here in DC. I'm curious to see audience energy after the No King's protests today

To the woman seated next to me at my coffee shop, the CCR blaring from your phone does not in fact merge seamlessly with mellow pop music offered by the cafe.

Kudos to @barbarafwalter.com for her latest Substack post encouraging people to participate in the No-Kings protests this Saturday (open.substack.com/pub/barbaraf...)

The questions remain. Why did White House border czar Tom Homan accept a bag with $50,000 cash? Who was it from? What was promised in exchange? Why did the DOJ close the investigation? How does bribery and corruption make America great? www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

How W. E. B. Du Bois responded to government policing of "anti-American" sentiment during the 1910s:

"I took great satisfaction in being able to sit back in my chair and answer blandly, 'We are seeking to have the Constitution of the United States thoroughly and completely enforced.' ”

And speaking of how states "manufacture consent"!

In their book, Manufacturing Consent, Herman & Chomsky talk about White House press briefings as one of the mechanisms state elites--no matter the Party--use to...well...manufacture the consent of the People. Check out their book for free here: tinyurl.com/wsw35jet

Buddhist philosophy continues to center me amidst the recent upheaval. I enjoyed a fantastic meditation session and dharma talk on Sunday in Greenbelt, MD

As the Cranberries told us, violent extremists work to create an environments where people feel unsafe ("..with their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns, in your head...) then use successfully use widespread fear in their recruitment drives youtu.be/6Ejga4kJUts?...

After Trump was relected, my stepfather asked me if I thought we were getting close to a civil war. "Nope," I quickly answered. By themselves, unpopular presidents with unpopular policies seem unlikely to catalyze a civil war.

IMHO, it's still too early to talk about a 2nd US Civil War, as if it is a forgone conclusion. You might disagree, but I implore you to look more closely at all the ways violent resistance struggles have manifested in this country, which don't rise to the level of civil war.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.