“Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist,” Sir Edmund Burke famously wrote in his 1777 Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol, regarding the Crown’s troubles with the upstart American colonies. Up to now, I had thought Burke’s quote…
Author: Eric F. Frazier
Eric F. Frazier is an independent writer, editor, book reviewer and co-author of GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones.
Defense Spending: Biggest Bang for the Buck Isn’t a Weapon; It’s GPS
President Trump’s proposed $54 billion defense spending increase has sparked predictable debate, and rightly so. It’s accompanied by drastic cuts for programs that help the poor, protect the environment, fund medical research and support diplomacy. The “guns versus butter” debate…
C-SPAN to Air GPS History Presentation
C-SPAN will broadcast a talk about GPS that I presented with my coauthor, Richard D. Easton, May 5 at the New York Military Affairs Symposium (NYMAS) in New York City. The first airing will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, June…
Infrastructure Fix: Declare War on Rust
Congratulations, fellow Americans, our nation’s infrastructure is not failing. We have squeaked by, once again, with a D+ grade. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades U.S. infrastructure every four years. ASCE released its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card March…
Trump Inaugurates Alt-Reality Show, “The Sorest Winner”
(WASHINGTON—FNN) President Donald J. Trump stunned assembled dignitaries and a worldwide audience during his inaugural speech Friday when he announced that he will produce, direct and star in a new alt-reality television show called “The Sorest Winner.” “I won, OK,…
Electoral College Outcome: Unprecedential
Pretend college awards made-up degree to sham university founder (WASHINGTON—FNN) For the first time in United States history, the Electoral College’s 538 electors convened by teleconference from their respective states Monday and agreed by a vote of 270-268 to award…
The Trumpire
Merging Donald Trump’s surname with the word “empire” presents an irresistible neologism, given his carefully cultivated status as our era’s most overweening plutocrat. A Google search finds the term showing up online more than 5,000 times, its use dating back…
Authoritarian Power: LePage Missed 1776 Lesson
Gov. Paul LePage, R-Maine, who longs for “authoritarian power,” is a striking example of our need to improve public education in history and civics. “Sometimes, I wonder that our Constitution is not only broken, but we need a Donald Trump…
9/11 @15: Scars and Healing
9/11 changed everything, everyone said. Fifteen years later, we have some perspective to consider the truth of that statement. Physically, there is no doubt about the permanence of 9/11, even amid great change. What seemed for years a gaping, unhealable…
Photography: From Grainy to Ingrained
In recognition of World Photo Day, I am posting images of the first photograph and the earliest known photograph of people. We can thank two Frenchmen for these photos, and for their contributions to the development of photography. (Raise a…