The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure. – Albert Einstein

 Defending our Constitution doesn’t necessarily mean fighting. The more citizens live according to its principles and speak up whenever they see the rights of others being threatened, the less actual fighting there will be.

 I have never known a mountain climber who has never slipped. I have never known a successful business or investor who has not lost money on at least one deal. The survivors are the people who recognize the risks and take precautions to limit their losses. The safety rope won’t prevent the climber from falling, but it ensure that a fall won’t be fatal.

 The balance of nature needed to sustain live over the long term involves an incredibly complex interaction among millions of components. Scientists spent years and millions of dollars trying to create a sealed Biosphere that could be built on another planet and support human life with a carefully selected collection of plants and animals. It failed badly.

Man's attempts to improve the world by eliminating nuisance animals like wolves or to convert forests to agriculture have led to seriou...

 It's time to act my age. The duties assigned to my position in a public school have grown so that if I stayed, I'd be instructing seven classes a day (to a total of around 850 students) plus helping maintain computers, software and student accounts. I've had to admit to myself that I don't have the energy to do a good job with that load.

My “Three years Before the Mast” experience has increased my appreciation of our public school teachers (and much more pleasurable than the life des...