First Principles: The Supreme Art of War Is To Subdue the Enemy Without Fighting

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

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Thought For the Day: The First Thing To Decide Before You Walk Into Any Negotiation Is What To Do If the Other Fellow Says ‘No’

“The first thing to decide before you walk into any negotiation is what to do if the other fellow says ‘no’.” – Ernest Bevin

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Signs of Peace In An Artificial World

Signs of Peace In An Artificial World
by Michael Doyle

I grew up strong and being taught what it means
To walk justly and forthright with other human beings
This meant that one didn't have to fight to be a man
Throwing one's weight around didn't make one more American

It seems pertinent to what was said in The Art of the Deal
To understand your leverage, think big and get to what's real
Knowing the market requires knowing the playing field
To do this requires knowing who will and will not yield

In this case, one man understands firsthand the evidence
Every day of his life, he lives the resulting consequence
True peace rests on pillars like national self-determination
Freedom respects human rights, including for Ukraine's nation

The rule of law clarifies values cannot be negotiated away
This is regardless of how bleak one's position is any given day
When I was younger, I with others, signed my name on the line
Willing to give all that freedom be kept by me and for mine

These same principles stand before the issues we examine today
Signs of peace in an artificial world have this value and play
Much the same as they always have, and hopefully always will
This is where things stand in the living art of my life's deal

It's the same world that I see revolving around before my eyes
And as I stare up at the constellations in the darkened skies
I ask you, Mr. President, to reconsider the things you've said
Reexamine who's side you are on inside thoughts in your head

Neither fear nor force; nothing can make a brave man change
Until that man sees a reason he's willing to make that change
No bluster, loud words, nor threats of standing on his own
Will make such a man feel as though he walks this world alone

Such a man, like all men, absolutely needs his sense of dignity
On this occasion, you must cede the need for Ukraine's integrity
Constituted an independent state, it governs by its own choice
A good negotiator recognizes he must honor the other's voice

Isn't that right, Mr. President?

(c) February 28, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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First Principles: Education Is Not Complete Unless We Teach Our Children Not Only How To Read and Write But the Difference Between Right and Wrong

“Education is not complete unless we teach our children not only how to read and write but the difference between right and wrong.” – George H. W. Bush

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Thought For the Day: Never Worry About Numbers. Help One Person At A Time, and Always Start With the Person Nearest You

“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”– Mother Theresa

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Napoli Treats For Friday Nights

Napoli Treats For Friday Nights
by Michael Doyle

Mouth watering, the aroma fills the air
Prepared by two hands that care
Piping hot pizza pie and glasses of red wine
Never has Friday night been more divine

Humble origins in good old Italy
Are fancy enough for the likes of you and me
Its tasty creation calls for time and skill
Ignoring the caloric content is a matter of will

Pizza's cheesy goodness and savory sauce
Are the beginnings, and you are the boss
It's a little slice of heaven in every bite
If tacos have Tuesdays, Pizzas are for Friday nights

Craving a little bite of the perfect pie
There's no time like now to begin wondering why
We aren't already folding over a tasty slice
Take two if you want my best advice

Ready-made food may have its time to stuff a face
But my best moments are at the order in pizza place
Smiles and happy sorts of dreams are often shared
In this gastronomic wonder where Napoli treats are prepared

Pizza's cheesy goodness and savory sauce
Are the beginnings, and you are the boss
It's a little slice of heaven in every bite
If tacos have Tuesdays, Pizzas are for Friday nights

Napoli where the laughing people are convivial
As they celebrate each day as if a carnival
A mural of Vesuvio decorates the otherwise plain wall
While students, artists and children fill the stalls

Real pizza comes from brick ovens and two generations
That have learned every nuance held with veneration
Each spice and every tidbit has its respected place
And we the paying customers wisely enjoy their trace

Pizza's cheesy goodness and savory sauce
Are the beginnings, and you are the boss
It's a little slice of heaven in every bite
If tacos have Tuesdays, Pizzas are for Friday nights

(c) February 27, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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First Principles: True Peace Rests On the Pillars of Individual Freedom, Human Rights, National Self-Determination, and Respect For the Rule of Law

“When we speak of peace, we should not mean just the absence of war. True peace rests on the pillars of individual freedom, human rights, national self-determination, and respect for the rule of law.” – Ronald Reagan

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Thought For the Day: The Free, Exploring Mind of the Individual Human Is the Most Valuable Thing In the World

“And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.” – John Steinbeck

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In the Whisper of Time’s Sands

In the Whisper of Time's Sands
by Michael Doyle

We can't get a lock on the future
Without knowing our past
We can't know what to nurture
If we don't know what was once cast

The good hunter seeks to rise to the height
As he sips the water of life to quench his thirst
He keeps all obstacles within his keen sight
Casting what is last as much as what was first

An open mind sees as far as it can
In this world full of choices
One must stay one's own man
Despite the cacophony of voices

Each voice heard insists it is the one that is right
To remove the falsity of darkness from the light
Only the fool thinks that he knows all
This is the whisper of the sands that we recall

(c) February 26, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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First Principles: The First and Governing Maxim In the Interpretation of A Statute Is To Discover the Meaning of Those Who Made It

“The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it.” – James Wilson (1790)

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