Steilacoom

Submitted by Greg Alderete. In an age when the moral authority of institutions is fraying under pressure, few figures loom as large—or as differently—as Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis. These two pontiffs, each in his own way, redefined the papacy for a global audience. They were both radical and traditional, beloved and controversial, […]

Submitted by Aaron Arkin. Recently, a highly publicized Blue Origin Mission to the edge of space, passively crewed by six celebrated female personalities, was the subtext for the idea that mankind’s future is in Space. In the headiness of the moment, and with the support of a hand-full of multi-billionaires, space tourism (for the ultra […]

Submitted by Gregory Alderete. In an era increasingly dominated by tribalism and binary thinking, I find myself resisting the urge—and the pressure—to choose a side. Left or right. Conservative or liberal. Blue or red. These labels, once shorthand for political leanings, have become ideological cages. They distort. They divide. And more often than not, they […]

Submitted by Greg Alderete. In yet another entanglement in the Middle East, the United States finds itself waging war by proxy—or directly—in Yemen. We’re told it’s about regional stability, about threats, about protecting our allies. But beneath the rhetoric lies a much older, more troubling story: America, once the self-proclaimed beacon of democracy and peace, […]

Submitted by Gregory Alderete. The CH-47 helicopters descended like creatures from a bad science fiction film—massive, noisy, and otherworldly. As they landed, the U.S. Army infantry flowed into their steel bellies, packs bulging, faces streaked with camouflage, and eyes set on the unknowable. I stood apart, an observer—a field advisor assigned to coordinate with a […]