Holy Unknown

  By Cody Andrus Trump's VP: "he should never be president again" Trump's (other) VP: "he's America's Hitler" Trump's  Secretary of Defense: "a 5th grader"  Trump's (other)  Secretary of Defense: " treasonous " Trump's National Security Advisor: "stupid ... nut job" Trump 's (other)  National Security Advisor: "a dope" Trump's FBI Director:  "morally unfit to be president" Trump's  Secretary of State: "moron" Trump's  Chief of Staff: "idiot ... unhinged" Trump's  Attorney General: "shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office" Trump's  Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff: "fascist to the core" Trump's Joint Chiefs of Staff: "sickened [by] disdain for ... rights of a peaceful protest" Trump's personal attorney: "a cheat, liar, racist, predator, con man" Trump's (other) personal attorney: "graves...

By Cody Andrus Julia Child was born on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena, California, into a family that valued education and independence. She attended Smith College and graduated in 1934. Afterward, she moved through clerical and writing jobs without a clear professional direction. Cooking was not yet central to her life. After the United States entered World War II, Child joined the Office of Strategic Services, the wartime organization that later became the Central Intelligence Agency. She was assigned to administrative and research roles, first in Washington, D.C., and later overseas in Ceylon and China. The work was practical and procedural. She tracked personnel, managed files, and supported intelligence officers operating under pressure and logistical constraint. Her assignments required accuracy, adaptability, and discretion rather than initiative or risk-taking. She worked long hours in unfamiliar environments, learned how large systems functioned under strain, and became comforta...

By Cody Andrus John Kiriakou was born on August 2, 1964, in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1990 and built his career in counterterrorism, working in a profession defined by secrecy, discipline, and obedience to chain of command. After the September 11 attacks, Kiriakou was assigned to overseas counterterrorism operations. In March 2002, he led the operation that captured Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan, one of the first high-value detainees taken into U.S. custody after 9/11. Inside the agency, the capture was treated as a major success at a moment of national urgency. In the weeks that followed, Abu Zubaydah was transferred into CIA custody. As interrogation plans were developed, Kiriakou was asked whether he wanted to be trained for or take part in the questioning program. He refused. He believed the techniques being proposed amounted to torture and chose not to participate. After leaving government service, Kiriakou spoke publicly about what he had learn...

By Cody Andrus The war between Ukraine and Russia began three years ago on February 24, 2022. The conflict is also known as the "Russo-Ukrainian War.” This term typically encompasses the time since 2014 with Crimea and Donbas. The conflict presents a very complicated and troubling reality. What began as a swift invasion by Russia has evolved into a grinding war of attrition, with significant human cost and vast geopolitical implications. Examining the facts, and listening to the insights of military strategists, helps us understand the current situation and possible paths ahead. One hard fact is the immense human toll. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost on both sides, including countless civilians. Ukraine has seen vast swathes of its territory devastated, with cities reduced to rubble and critical infrastructure targeted. Russia, despite initial expectations of a quick victory, has also suffered heavy casualties and significant material losses. The economic impact has been...

By Cody Andrus The Drake Equation is a way to organize a question rather than answer it. It was proposed in 1961 by Frank Drake to structure discussion about how many technologically capable civilizations might exist in the Milky Way. The equation does not produce a definitive number. Instead, it identifies the factors that would have to be understood before any estimate could be made responsibly. The equation divides the problem into a series of terms. It begins with the rate at which stars form in the galaxy and asks how many of those stars have planetary systems. It then considers how many planets might be capable of supporting life. From there, the focus shifts away from astronomy and toward biology and behavior, asking how often life emerges, how often intelligence develops, and how often that intelligence produces technology detectable from a distance. Each term reflects a different kind of uncertainty. Some of the astronomical factors are now better constrained than they were w...

By Cody Andrus Since the start of his career, Trump has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment.  One case involves E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist who claims Trump assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll detailed the incident vividly, stating that Trump attacked her. Following his public denials and derogatory comments about her character, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against him. Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice," is another accuser who claims that Trump groped her in a hotel room in 2007. After Trump dismissed her allegations as fabrications, Zervos filed a defamation lawsuit against him, leading to a protracted legal battle that highlighted the challenges women face when confronting powerful male figures. Jessica Leeds claimed that Trump groped her on a plane in the 1980s, describing how he attempted to touch her under her skirt without her consent during the flight.  Natasha S...

By Cody Andrus Eddie Chapman was not shaped by discipline, patriotism, or ideology. He was a criminal long before the war began, raised in England and drawn early to theft, violence, and fraud. By his twenties, he had accumulated arrests rather than direction, moving in and out of prison with little interest in reform. War did not change his nature. It simply altered the environment in which he operated. In 1940, Chapman was imprisoned on the Channel Island of Jersey when German forces occupied it. The island’s capture placed him under German authority without requiring any effort or loyalty on his part. Seeing an opportunity, Chapman volunteered to work for German intelligence. His offer was practical, not political. Cooperation meant freedom, training, and money. The Germans accepted him as an asset, training him in sabotage, explosives, and covert communication. To them, Chapman appeared useful precisely because he lacked scruples. In late 1942, the Germans parachuted Chapman into B...

By Cody Andrus Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents. He was educated in England, where strict schools and rigid authority left a lasting impression. Those early years sharpened his awareness of power, obedience, and quiet resistance. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force and flew as a fighter pilot in North Africa. In 1940, he was badly injured in a crash that ended his flying career. During his recovery, he was reassigned to diplomatic service in Washington, D.C., where his fluency, charm, and observational skill soon attracted attention. Dahl was recruited into British intelligence and tasked with helping shift American opinion from neutrality toward intervention. Operating out of the British Embassy, he moved easily through Washington society, gathering information, cultivating contacts, and reporting back to London. His work placed him in proximity to senior politicians, journalists, and figures insi...

By Cody Andrus Republicans have increasingly utilized fear as a political tool to target and marginalize transgender individuals. Their rhetoric often portrays trans people as a threat to societal norms, safety, and traditional values, perpetuating a climate of misunderstanding and hostility. They spread fear through misinformation campaigns. They frequently exaggerate and misrepresent issues related to transgender rights, such as bathroom access, framing it as a matter of public safety rather than an issue of basic human dignity and equality. By focusing on hypothetical dangers and worst-case scenarios, they stoke fears among the public who may not be well-informed on the realities of transgender lives. Republican lawmakers often propose and enact discriminatory legislation under the guise of protecting women and children. These laws target transgender individuals' access to healthcare, and even basic recognition of their gender identity. Such actions reinforce the narrative that ...

By Cody Andrus Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, profoundly impacted Western thought. Born in 1844, he challenged traditional morality, religion, and philosophy. His ideas, though sometimes controversial, continue to resonate today. Nietzsche's father, a Lutheran pastor, died when Friedrich was young. He grew up in a household of women, which some scholars believe influenced his later views on power and gender. He excelled academically, eventually becoming a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel at the young age of 24. But his academic career was cut short by health problems, forcing him to resign his position. Nietzsche's philosophy is complex and multifaceted. He famously declared "God is dead," not as a statement of atheism, but as an observation of the decline of religious belief in Europe. He criticized traditional morality, which he saw as life-denying and oppressive. Instead, he championed what he called the "will to power,...

By Cody Andrus Abortion is a deeply personal issue that has long been debated. But the central premise remains: reproductive rights are about bodily autonomy, and no one should interfere with a woman's right to make decisions about her own body . Men should have zero authority in abortion decisions. The law, especially after the Supreme Court's landmark decision in  Roe v. Wade , and its recent dismantling by the  Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization  ruling, should be centered on a woman’s right to choose—free from the input of men. In  Roe v. Wade  (1973), the Supreme Court affirmed that women have a constitutional right to access abortion. This decision underscored that reproductive rights fall under the right to privacy, which is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. By making this ruling, the Court emphasized that a woman's decision about her body should not be subject to external interference. Because men do not bear the physical and emotional bur...

By Cody Andrus I try to make a ple dge to myself every day not to say anything about people if I have nothing good to say. I therefore have nothing to say about President Trump. But I never pledge not to write certain things. Although I have indeed tried. Because it is not what my blog and website are about. At times, though, a writer has an obligation when matters become  beyond insane and ridiculous. Before he was re-elected, I believed Trump to be a rapist, a racist, a bigot, a liar, and a cheater. Trump is proving to be nearly all of these things on a daily basis. For rational, politically minded people, he should be considered the worst president America has ever seen, by far. I voted for George W. Bush twice and never voted for Obama.  I became actively involved in politics during the 2000 presidential election. This is when I first saw what a crazy but important topic it really is. Personally, I was repulsed by the way Bush was treated by most media. They called hi...

By Cody Andrus The #MeToo movement was initiated by activist Tarana Burke in 2006 and gained worldwide recognition in 2017 when the hashtag went viral, empowering countless individuals to share their experiences about sexual harassment and assault.  This movement has significantly influenced societal attitudes and created a measurably safer environment for future generations, including my own daughter. And that's a very good thing. No one should ever downplay or forget this movement. One of the profound impacts of #MeToo is the overall increased awareness about sexual harassment and assault. By bringing these issues to the forefront, the movement has challenged the normalization of these really awful behaviors by some men. This awareness has beautifully encouraged victims to speak out. The movement has led to tangible changes in policies and practices aimed at preventing sexual misconduct. Many organizations have implemented stricter anti-harassment policies, established clearer re...

By Cody Andrus According to The Washington Post , Donald Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims during his presidency. This extensive tally was part of the paper’s Fact Checker database, which tracked false statements from politicians. By the time Trump left office in January 2021, the Post had logged 30,573 lies, a record-breaking figure for any U.S. president. One notable pattern in Trump’s false claims was the way he repeatedly doubled down on misinformation, even after it had been fact-checked. His persistence in spreading these falsehoods shaped public opinion, often muddying the waters around important issues. The lies spanned a wide range of topics, from the economy and immigration to foreign policy and, most significantly, the 2020 presidential election. Trump's most egregious lies began during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the outset, he downplayed the seriousness of the virus, claiming in February 2020 that it was "totally under control" and ...

By Cody Andrus John Scobell was born around 1821 in Virginia, where slavery governed labor, movement, and law. As an African American born into enslavement, his early life unfolded under constant surveillance and restriction. Little documentation survives from his childhood, but the conditions themselves shaped what he would later rely on: careful observation and the ability to remain unnoticed. At some point before the Civil War, Scobell escaped slavery and made his way north. By the late 1850s, he was living in Washington, D.C., working quietly as a civilian. The capital was crowded with soldiers, politicians, and informants, a place where rumor traveled faster than orders and accurate information was hard to come by. When the Civil War began, Union officials faced a serious intelligence problem. Reliable information from inside the Confederacy was scarce, and conventional agents were easily detected. Private intelligence networks began to fill the gap. Among them was the Pinkerto...

By Cody Andrus Donald Trump has long portrayed himself as a brilliant and successful businessman, but the reality of his career paints a different picture. Despite his fame and wealth, Trump’s business ventures typically end in failure, with multiple bankruptcies, financial losses, and a reputation for not paying workers and contractors. His ability to market himself as a success is a testament more to his skills as a promoter than his talents as a businessman. One of the most glaring indicators of Trump’s business failures is his string of bankruptcies. Over the years, Trump has filed for corporate bankruptcy six times, largely to restructure debt from his casinos and hotels. His Atlantic City casinos, once part of a booming empire, collapsed under heavy debt, with Trump repeatedly borrowing more money than the businesses could repay. The Trump Taj Mahal, once billed as the “eighth wonder of the world,” was one of the most high-profile failures, eventually closing its doors after year...

By Cody Andrus President Trump’s tendency to escalate conflict is nothing new. But when a president deploys U.S. Marines and National Guard troops in Los Angeles to confront civilian protesters, it crosses into something not just reckless but illegal and un-American.  The central premise with Trump remains the same. He didn't propose sending federal troops to stop armed insurrectionists at state capitols. He didn't use military force when predominantly white crowds stormed the Michigan legislature over pandemic mask mandates. But when Black and Latino communities raise their voices in protest Trump’s first instinct is to militarize the response. This reflects his belief that dissent from nonwhite communities is disorder, not democracy. California Governor Gavin Newsom has made it clear that Trump’s idea of deploying federal troops on his state's soil without consent is unwelcome and unconstitutional. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the U.S. military cannot be used for domest...

By Cody Andrus Donald Trump’s reign has provided a unique lens through which we can evaluate the people in our lives. The "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement has often drawn individuals with values that align with Trump's platform, which is steeped in racial division, misogyny, and nationalist rhetoric. Supporting Trump is, at its core, an endorsement of the man and his actions: a history filled with documented lies, sexual assault accusations, and discriminatory practices. When someone embraces Trump, we should ask what that says about their character. Is it possible to separate the man from the politics? Many would argue no. Trump’s blatant racism, from calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" to attempting to ban Muslims from entering the United States, is inseparable from his public persona. His actions, such as refusing to condemn white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and promoting policies that target marginalized communities, are emblematic of ...

By Cody Andrus Airports are the gateways to nations, and the state of American airports is a national embarrassment. Once the envy of the world, our airports now lag behind their international counterparts in efficiency, aesthetics, and technological advancement. Despite being the world's largest economy, the United States has allowed its airport infrastructure to decay into a state of disrepair that belies its global standing. A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) underscores the need for comprehensive investment in infrastructure, grading the nation's aviation system at a dismal "D+" in their 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. This grade reflects outdated facilities, frequent delays, and congestion that hampers both domestic and international travel. The U.S. Travel Association highlights how these inefficiencies contribute to a $24 billion annual economic loss due to delays and cancellations, further straining an already underperforming system. M...

By Cody Andrus Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England, into a large and closely connected family. Her father, George Austen, was a clergyman who valued education and maintained a substantial household library. Jane grew up surrounded by books, conversation, and amateur performances, an environment that encouraged close observation and verbal precision. She began writing in her early teens, producing short pieces and early drafts that circulated only within her family. Austen spent most of her life in rural southern England, moving between family homes and living modestly without marrying. Her writing focused on the social world she knew best: small communities governed by custom, money, reputation, and marriage. These settings were narrow by design. Within them, Austen examined how people assessed one another, made choices, and lived with the consequences. Between 1811 and 1815, she published four novels— Sense and Sensibility , Pride and Prejudi...