Recent integrity Commentaries

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Integrity
Washington is far too often remembered for its scandals than its triumphs—a reality that would have stunned and saddened our first president. Yet history’s true measure lies with those who chose conscience over expedience, and duty over ambition.  Their choices came at a cost, but they show us what integrity in public life looks like—and how it can still guide...
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September 23, 2025
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Fighting for the Public Good
Theodore Roosevelt didn’t plan to become president. In 1901, after President William McKinley was assassinated, the 42-year-old vice president was sworn in—becoming the youngest person ever to occupy the White House. Many in the Republican Party had hoped to sideline Roosevelt’s reformist energy by placing him in a quiet, symbolic role. But Roosevelt had other ideas. He brought his convictions...
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May 13, 2025
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The Man Who Refused to Be King
This week, I’m focusing on what may be the most endangered quality in public life: integrity. Over the next 5 days, I’ll spotlight five U.S. Presidents who, when faced with defining moments, chose character over calculation. These men didn’t just hold office—they upheld a moral compass, often at personal or political cost. Their stories remind us of what principled leadership...
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May 12, 2025
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Code of Conscience
In a time when too many are willing to trade truth for tribalism and principle for power, it’s easy to lose sight of what we stand for—not politically, but personally. Long before politics, before the noise and division, there is character. And character is built on conscience. What follows is not a list of rules, but a set of beliefs...
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March 28, 2025
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The Political System Explained (from the opening of my doctoral thesis)
(Note: this is a rough draft and still undergoing revisions.) Welcome, esteemed colleagues, to a comprehensive exploration of one of the most perplexing and confounding systems known to mankind: the United States political system. Drawing from years a few a couple of weeks of research, and kind of rigorous analysis (a caffeine binge helped), this thesis aims to explain the...
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January 30, 2025
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How Do We Restore America’s Integrity?
We have survived crises before. However, the events we are now facing have brought about an unimaginable chain reaction. This is not the America many of us grew up with and loved. We’ve faced down bullies before, but these current threats come in a different form: deceit, corruption, unreason, and disease; not just disease from a deadly virus, but an...
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April 13, 2020