If you don’t believe that US companies can monetize anything, take pot smokers’ unofficial holiday of 4/20.
Marijuana’s high holiday reportedly began in the 1970’s with some high school buddies from San Rafael High School in CA’s Marin County. “The Waldos”- as they called themselves- would meet after classes at 4:20pm by the school statue of chemist Louis Pasteur and smoke. A brother of one of the Waldos was a friend of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. The ‘420’ slang supposedly spread via the Waldos’ Deadhead connections- and the rest became stoner history.
Fast forward to the present. 4/20 has certainly become monetized. Dispensaries run sales and 4/20 deals, with limited edition strains and offers. There are festivals like SF Space Walk and Bay Blaze Fest. Colorado’s 4/20 concert at Red Rocks showcased legends Ice Cube, Big Boi and Snoop Dogg and others. Major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, and New York host art shows, live music, local vendors, and food trucks.
Of course the resulting munchies that smokers reportedly exhibit are met by nation-wide restaurant deals and fast food offers too. BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse offers $4.20 Pizookies for night owls, starting at 9pm. Dog Haus gives members a free Cheeseburger Slider if they spend $4.20 or more. Chipotle, Red Robin, Taco Bell, Wingstop and others have their own specialized promotions as well.
4/20’s evolution raises a bigger question: Is it good or bad that capitalism so quickly recognizes any demand, then packages and sells it? On the positive side, it drives innovation and creates economic opportunities. On the downside, the system suggests that everything can be monetized, leaving no ideals, ideas, or culture untouched.
Capitalism proclaims that profit is power- the ability to turn your dreams into something profitable. Yet it is ironic that the anti-establishment ethos behind 4/20 has itself been repackaged and sold, with rebellion becoming marketable. Whether that is contradiction or progress, the 4/20 counterculture moment has now found its niche in the marketplace.
Europe May Be Closer to Fuel Disruption Than Many Realize. According to the International Energy Agency, Europe has as little as 6 weeks of jet fuel left if supplies remain restricted.
The IEA- responsible for energy policy, security, and sustainability for its 32 member countries of North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific- has sounded alarms about fuel shortages before. During 2022-2023, major disruptions to oil and gas supplies were triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Back then, the IEA orchestrated the release of 182 million barrels of oil to offset the disruptions. However this latest 2026 fuel crisis is unprecedented. According to the head of IEA, Executive Director Fatih Birol, this current situation is “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced.”
“I can now announce that IEA countries have unanimously decided to launch the largest-ever release of emergency oil stocks in our agency’s history,” he continued on Wednesday, April 15. The historic release of a record 400 million barrels of oil is intended to counteract Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz by calming the immediate effects of market disruptions and price shocks.
But this record release of oil by IEA countries will just buy time, not solve the underlying supply issue. If the 6 week period is passed with no resolution, impacts will continue to unfold incrementally across the world.
Impacts of limited fuels typically show up first in aviation. Flight cuts, reduced routes and higher fares have begun (e.g. Norse Atlantic is dropping their LAX to Europe flights for the summer). Low cost carriers with thinner margins are particularly vulnerable to fuel cost fluctuations (e.g. airlines like Spirit Airlines face mounting financial pressure). Many airlines are cutting back on flights, and increasing their baggage fees and fares to offset costs.
Fuel is the core cost to move goods. Transportation and shipping costs will certainly rise across numerous industries, so retailers will pass along the increased costs for groceries, clothing and consumer goods to consumers. E-commerce that is dependent on quick delivery slows down- and costs more. Eventually delays in raw materials for manufacturing spawn shortages- slowing production of items such as cars, appliances, or electronics. Construction and cost overruns are likely.
Globally, countries have already begun to encourage voluntary energy conservation measures. Sri Lanka has introduced fuel rationing and a four-day work week. The Philippines have mandated its government employees to observe a four-day work week, with office thermostats to be set no lower than 75 degrees. Two Australian States are offering free public transportation. The Vietnamese government is urging employers to allow staff to work from home. News anchors in Thailand removed their jackets on-air to showcase the government’s push to use less air conditioning. To cut spending, Pakistan closed schools for 2 weeks, paused salaries for cabinet ministers, and ordered 30,000 fans to watch a popular cricket tournament from home rather than go to local stadiums.
Mandatory government-imposed limits on fuel would be the next escalation (e.g. fixed rations for fuel, priority use for essential workers, car-free days in cities, limits on non-essential travel or delivery services). Early responses also show countries seeking to secure alternative fuel supplies, and implementing fuel subsidies, and financial aid for businesses and consumers.
In the end, Europe may be the first to feel the strain of energy shortages, but in an interconnected world, the impacts won’t remain regional. Economies across the world will feel the effects. How far, and how quickly, remains to be seen.
Many people will tell you they trust people more than AI. In fact, a third of consumers polled said they are less likely to choose a brand if they know their online ads were AI-generated. They prefer AI in behind-the-scenes uses such as fraud detection, speedier processing, tailored emails or improved results.
But watching consumers in action reveals a different story.
Consumers are increasingly embracing AI when it serves a clear purpose that they themselves orchestrate:
To save time researching and buying
To achieve a budget-specific purchase
To plan or organize specific outcomes
This customer paradox is showcased in the rise of Agentic Commerce- and it is reshaping the next phase of online shopping. With agentic shopping, consumers are now authorizing AI to do their shopping for them- allowing an intelligent AI agent to anticipate, personalize, and completely automate the process for them. Agentic shopping is projected to account for more than a quarter of e-commerce spending within the next few years.
Here’s some examples of top platforms that are leading the way with agentic commerce:
Amazon has a “Help Me Decide” feature, using a conversational interactive AI shopping assistant named Rufus. Amazon’s “Buy for Me” feature is their complex still-emerging agentic commerce feature that will go beyond giving suggestions, to handle purchases, returns or refunds, and the research, purchase and delivery of gifts.
Walmart has its own chatbot “Sparky” inside their Walmart app, for customer shopping that compares products, reviews, organizes lists for party planning or meal prep, or reorders. Their early attempt at full agentic commerce- Chat GPT + “Instant Checkout”- was constrained by the awkward limitation to purchase items individually. Walmart continues to actively work on their broader agentic AI strategy.
Alibaba offers agent-led decision assistance for their Chinese and Southeast Asian customers. Consumer orders can be as complex as plans for a weekend trip to a specified destination- with travel, hotel and restaurants booked and paid by the AI assistant. Alibaba’s Qwen App doesn’t just respond, Alibaba’s VP Wu Jia describes it as “AI that acts.”
To summarize, consumers don’t fully trust AI- but they trust what it does for them. The brands that correctly balance customer control and convenience will be the ones that earn both trust and transactions.
If you remember this phrase from the era of VHS movies- you were definitely a Blockbuster Video customer. During its heyday in the 90’s and early 2000’s, this retailer operated over 9,000 stores, and had about 60 million registered customers worldwide.
Blockbuster customers did not passively and instantly stream their viewing like today. Members signed up in-store, returned regularly, and browsed their local store for film choices. It was often part of a Friday-night ritual- trying to decide on the movie (and snacks), and sharing the “event” with friends or family. Late fees, empty shelves, and yes- rewinding the tapes as a courtesy to the next viewer were all part of the shared experience too.
Nostalgic memories of getting VHS and DVD movies from Blockbuster are really about a slower, more social way to enjoy entertainment. Today’s digital entertainment experiences are faster, more convenient, with vast choices. But what customers have gained in ease, they’ve lost in shared experience, human interaction, and emotions or anticipation.
Marketers today don’t have to recreate Blockbuster Video or bring back VHS tapes. But brands are rediscovering what Blockbuster once understood, that customer experience is as important as convenience and transaction. Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol is currently working to bring this back (https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2025/how-back-to-starbucks-is-reshaping-every-aspect-of-the-coffeehouse-experience/ ), restoring a sense of connection and atmosphere. His revitalization is even reaching his employees with new performance tactics such as popular weekly pay cycles for them (https://www.inc.com/amaya-nichole/starbucks-weekly-pay-life-changing-update/91326372).
If customer experience didn’t matter, there wouldn’t still be a remaining Blockbuster in Bend, OR (https://bendblockbuster.com/). Since 2019, this last remaining Blockbuster store is a tourist destination and nostalgia experience. It draws customers from around the world- not just because of what it rents, but because of how it feels. People do not suddenly overwhelmingly prefer DVD’s to streaming, although they still do rent movies there. But people are loyal to the feeling of stepping back in time, to the human interaction, and the emotional connection.
Marketers may call it brand experience (BX), emotional branding, relationship marketing, or experiential marketing– but it’s a shared human experience that fosters customer loyalty. Customer convenience wins clicks, but human moments bring a brand to life.
Your senior neighbor goes to the local polling place to vote in the federal election, as she has proudly done for many years. She shows her driver’s license, and is shocked to find that it is no longer an acceptable form of ID for her to vote.
If the current version of the Save America Act passes the Senate, your neighbor, along with all Americans, would be required to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. America’s previous system merely called for voters to prove identity, since election officials already verified eligibility based on voter registration records and database checks. Your neighbor’s REAL ID no longer meets the new bill’s proof-of-citizenship requirement. Only a few special enhanced REAL ID’s from MI, MN, NY, VT, and WA include citizenship proof- and your neighbor doesn’t have one of those.
The poll worker tells your neighbor that she can show a passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers for additional proof. That sounds easy enough, right?
Except your neighbor could be among the millions of US citizens that would lack documents in order to vote in federal elections.
Passport? Around 140 million or more American citizens do not have a passport.
Birth certificate? Your neighbor- like up to 69 million other American women– would not have a birth certificate that matches her current legal married name. She’d have to provide her birth certificate, marriage certificate and divorce decree if applicable, to create a legal document chain showing her name changes.
Correct documents? Lots of people only have a decorative “hospital copy” of their birth, or a keepsake wedding certificate. These ceremonial documents are not certified and not usable for legal verification.
Available paperwork? Additionally, more than 9% (21.3 million people) of the voting population even lack readily available paperwork- with documents stored in a relative’s house or a safety deposit box- one reason many younger voters might have difficulties voting.
No paperwork? 3.8 million people don’t have legal documents at all- their papers have been lost, destroyed or stolen.
Paperwork complications? These barriers can arise with Americans born abroad to US parents, older Native Americans whose birth records are held by multiple agencies, seniors born before standardized record-keeping or those from home births that were registered later.
An additional caveat of the SAVE America Act is that it would require states to provide their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security to run through their citizenship verification tool. Dozens of states have previously refused similar requests from the federal government, due to concerns about potential misuse of personal data. Those concerns are well-founded, in light of recent incidents in which DOGE team members within the Social Security Administration misused voter data by turning state voter rolls over to an advocacy group.
Beyond concerns about data misuse, states would also face enormous unfunded mandates created by the passing of the SAVE America Act- including processing and verifying documents, upgrading systems and personnel, and ensuring legal compliance.
The SAVE America Act is being presented as a safeguard for federal elections, but its real-world effects could actually threaten the foundations of America’s representative democracy. By requiring proof-of-citizenship documents that millions of eligible Americans do not readily possess, the bill risks disenfranchising a wide range of voters. Those voters most disenfranchised would be seniors, younger voters, communities of color, women, and lower-income people. In seeking to ‘protect’ elections, this legislation could paradoxically restrict eligible voter participation, by placing both citizens and state governments under a potentially destabilizing burden. This undermines the basic principle that America’s government derives its legitimacy from the broad, free, and equal participation of its citizens.
With ICE (U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement) offices opening in multiple places across the U.S., it’s worth paying attention to what’s already happened in places like Minneapolis–St. Paul. There, increased ICE presence didn’t appear overnight — it started gradually with expanded presence, broader enforcement, and normalizing fear. What began there locally is now repeating nationally.
Using funding from the Big Beautiful Bill, and fast-tracking leases under an “unusual or compelling urgency” statute, ICE offices are aggressively expanding across the US. This rapid expansion includes many locations in California, including OC’s Irvine and Santa Ana, according to a Feb 11 Orange County Register article. One proposed office space is at 2020 Main Street in Irvine, in a privately owned high-rise office complex. The Irvine space is located by a childcare agency, an Equinox gym, and John Wayne Airport.
“This is news to me,” said Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. “We try to maintain some channel of communication with Border Patrol, with ICE, with Homeland Security. It’s not easy to do.”
The Santa Ana Federal Building in Santa Ana is another proposed ICE site, situated blocks from a church and high school sports stadium. Other alleged federal properties proposed for the ICE expansion include the John E. Moss building in Sacramento, and the Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse and federal building in San Diego. Los AngelesICE operations are thought to be expanding to the Van NuysJames C. Corman federal building as well.
This isn’t just a Minneapolis issue anymore- it’s a national pattern that is coming to neighborhoods like ours. Such increases to ICE facilities don’t stay contained — they ripple outward into everyday communities. Neighborhoods must pay attention.
The aloha spirit of kindness and connection was in evidence in a tragic event on June 15, 1925.
That day, the beach at Newport Beach CA was the scene of a tragic boating accident. A fishing vessel capsized while trying to enter the city’s harbor in heavy surf. According to the NB police chief later, the “most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen” then ensued- bystander Duke Kahanamoku used his surfboard to make repeated trips to the capsized ship, rescuing several people. Two fellow surfers saved four more fisherman- only 5 of the sinking ship’s fisherman were lost to the rough seas. Duke and the other surfers were credited with saving the lives of thirteen people. The publicity caused lifeguards across the US to begin the use of surfboards as standard equipment for water rescue. It was just one more unique way that Duke Kahanamoku’s life showcased Hawaii’s aloha spirit to the world.
Early Beginnings
Born in 1890, Duke Kahanamoku was from a large native Hawaiian family of nobility, blood relatives to Hawaiian royalty- even as that Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in 1893. Duke lived to see the Hawaiian territory become a state, and became a U.S. citizen. Duke’s life evolved into an introduction for the world to the Hawaiian tradition of surfing, and to the Hawaiian way of life and true aloha.
He developed his strong swimming and surfing skills on the beaches of Waikiki. His surf board was fashioned after the ancient Hawaiian boards- 16 feet long and 114 pounds of hardwood koa wood. He easily qualified for the 1912 US Olympics, taking gold and silver medals in swimming events. The 1920 Olympics brought him 2 gold medals, and in the 1924 Olympics, a silver.
Olympics and Beyond
During and after his Olympic career, he became an ambassador to the art of surfing, sparking interest in the sport all over the world. In 1914, he introduced surfing to the US Atlantic coast, Australia, and New Zealand. When Duke lived in LA and played in 30 Hollywood movies from 1915-1932, Southern California caught onto his surf craze and became a water-sports Mecca. His milestones continued- in 1929 he rode a monster wave for 1 1/8 miles at his homeland of Waikiki. It’s a feat considered the longest surf ride in modern times- never to be repeated in that location since development of the coastline has changed the surf patterns.
As late as 1960, Duke was appointed the new state of Hawaii’s Official Ambassador of Aloha, until his death in 1968. Just as Duke’s life embodied the aloha spirit, Hawaiians still revere its meaning- the Aloha Spirit Law was written into state law in 1986.
In 1990, in that spirit of aloha, a 9 foot bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku was dedicated at his beloved Waikiki Beach. Though Duke loved the ocean, his statue faces away from the water for a reason. Its public facing orientation exhibits a welcoming spirit of aloha to visitors and public visiting Kuhio Beach Park, Kalakaua Avenue, and Waikiki. His statue is always adorned with honorary leis, left in homage to a man of true Hawaiian spirit.
“He has honored his name, he has honored his race, he has honored his state, he has honored us all.” (Written on his statue’s bronze plaque)
Senator Bernie Moreno of OH has proposed an “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025”– a bill that would require all current dual citizens to choose within one year which citizenship they want to hold. Those who fail to pick will be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished US citizenship.
Millions of Americans- both naturalized citizens and U.S.born citizens who acquired second passports through ancestry- would be impacted if such a bill passed. Dual citizenry spans all levels of American society- even First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron are dual citizens of Slovenia. Senator Moreno’s legislation attempts to redefine whether millions of dual citizens- including the First Lady and son- are “real” fully American citizens.
Predictably there is significant backlash to Moreno’s proposed bill:
Loving America is possible even if you love where your family came from.
Layered identities formed by families who built lives in the U.S. should be celebrated, not outlawed, particularly given America’s long history as a nation of immigrants.
Nationalism framed as patriotism redefines who counts as a “real American”- treating certain citizens as less legitimate based on origin, ancestry or legal pathway to citizenship.
Setting legal precedents for persecution against specific groups is troubling, since history shows how revoking citizenship has been used as a tool of persecution (e.g. the Jews in Germany who were stripped of rights and targeted).
Dual citizenship is not inherently disloyal to America, but simply practical for many- second passports facilitate care for elderly family members abroad, or enable participation in international business interests where a local passport may be required.
Employment of dual citizens in global businesses- such as aviation, shipping, manufacturing, or finance- helps companies operate seamlessly across borders, without legal or logistical delays.
Moreno’s proposed bill runs counter to the law and Constitution. The US Constitution’s 14th Amendment states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the Jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The State Department acknowledges that U.S. citizens can hold dual citizenship. Various Supreme Court precedents (Afroyim v. Rusk, Vance v. Terrazas) reinforce that Congress has no power to strip a person of U.S. citizenship without a person’s voluntary renunciation that is intentional and volitional. Additionally, voluntarily renouncing American citizenship is a complex, expensive, and irreversible process.
Moreno’s “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025” bill is less about loyalty to the United States or national security, than about policing identity- using the law to decide who qualifies as a “real American.” Ultimately citizenship in America should rest on constitutional rights- and not be turned into a dangerous political weapon.
Starting a new year always causes me to become introspective. This past year in particular was heavy- marked with deepening political divisions, and repeated acts of violence. There was a massacre at the Annunciation Catholic School church attack in Minneapolis, the killings of 2 young Israeli staff members at a DC museum, the fatalities of MN State Rep Melissa Hortman and her husband in a home ambush, or the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a UT university during a speech.
These ugly events challenge my idealistic view that if people could experience one another’s lives somehow, it would soften the divisions between their political, religious or cultural identities. Could a simple exchange of someone from a rural setting spending time in an iconic urban setting- and vice versa- begin to negate current divisions? Maybe it would work just like travel educator Rick Steves’ international travel outreach does- broadening a person’s horizon when they briefly immerse into another culture or country.
With this idealism in mind, I envision nothing more iconically urban than a visit to NYC’s Broadway Theatre District. Broadway- America’s first fully electrically lighted street from 1880- became the heart of the Broadway Theatre District. Over the years, its theaters, restaurants, hotels, TV studios, record labels and theatrical agencies have cycled through a flow of boom, decline, and current revival.
“A play should make you understand something new. If it tells you what you already know, you leave it as ignorant as when you went in…” (Our Country’s Good, Act II, Scene 7)
So then, cultural immersion for a small town American would be attending their first ever NYC Broadway play. They’d have to start in Times Square on their way to the theatre, and that initial introduction would likely be quite a jolt. A first time visitor who’d only seen Times Square on TV at the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop would not be prepared for the place’s actual reality. There’s traffic, overwhelming noise and energy, and swarms of pedestrians- plus those multiple street performers such as Elmo or Naked Cowboy. Electronic billboards bring their visual assault to viewers with Coca Cola ads, movie promos, NASDAQ stock numbers, and BMW car spots. There’s nothing at all small town about this place called Times Square.
The next portion of Small Towner’s urban experience would be a pre-theatre stop at continental Sardi’s Restaurant. Begun in 1927, this restaurant and nightspot is where actors and playwrights historically gathered to await their reviews or celebrate play openings with cast and crew. Its dark maroon walls are lined with caricature portraits of Broadway stars- sketched since 1921. Small Towner would start to realize the long-time institution that theatre has been in NYC over the years. He might even appreciate an artist’s struggle, when he learns that Sardi’s original caricature artist, Alex Gard, began doing his drawings of famous theater folk in exchange for one free meal a day for many years. Despite the sticker shock of the menu prices, Small Towner wouldn’t just devour his tasty filet mignon medallions with cabernet sauvignon beef jus reduction, asparagus, whipped potatoes, and New York cheesecake- he’d absorb its theatre culture (and maybe spot a Broadway star dining at Sardi’s too).
But our Small Towner’s highlight urban dining would lead into the main theatre performance itself. What notable show could he choose? Let’s say that our Small Towner opts to see Hamilton as his first theatre experience. It would be an immersive experience into the intrigues of America’s beginnings- with scrappy immigrant Alexander Hamilton, competitive nemesis Aaron Burr, haughty King George III, and beleaguered beloved George Washington. The ornate trappings of the physical theater building where Small Towner sits would morph into the American Revolution’s vibrant costumes and long-ago bars and parties where alliances, friendships, and marriages were formed.
Good theater is always a time machine to other worlds- like Hamilton’s battles of the Continental Army, the shaky birth of America, and her infant struggles to survive. But experiencing such theater would also give our Small Towner an awesome glimpse into the amazing complexity of background teamwork and talents creating their entertainment magic. Those workers may contend with much different realities than Small Towner, with lives lived out in a competitive crowded urban setting. But such urban realities can actually be seen as comparable to a rural coping with weather impacts, the coordinated efforts needed to accomplish successful farming, or the practical economics of any agrarian-based small town.
“Be nice. (The world is a small town).”writer Austin Kleon
So now I imagine my Urbanite experiencing their first quintessential small town rural experience. Any such experience would have to involve a local basketball game. After all, basketball is integral to multiple small towns and reservations. Basketball is a frugal sport, not requiring lots of costly equipment. It is practical- can be played outdoors, or indoors when the weather is bad. And basketball is realistic- needing a fairly small number of players for a team- perfect for little towns with limited youth populations. Any Urbanite could gain insight into the back story of those small town values from their basketball culture.
Our Urbanite attending a small-town high school basketball game would see small town life up close. During that Friday night sport ritual, there’s kids selling popcorn to raise money for their band trips, families, farmers, and teachers cheering for each other’s kids, neighbors catching up with other neighbors. Everyone attends, and everyone knows each other. Such an event showcases those values and rhythms of a slower paced small town world, where weather, land, community, and seasons are central to a residents’ daily life and decisions. Time doesn’t rush so much as unfold. A person and their entire family being known by a community is a fact of life- both a blessing and a curse- a safe supportive network with accountability, or maybe a stifling force against privacy, reinvention, or anonymity.
But before any sports, there’d have to be a stop at the main town square. No Times Square lights and noise here- Urbanite would find an unassuming small square patch of grass with a solitary white gazebo, circled by the road, off an interstate highway. Along the roadside there’d probably be the post office, tiny library building, and the Courthouse/City Hall combination building. Of course City Hall is in imposing red brick with a donated brass plaque from the founding Miller family. The all-important Dairy Queen/kids’ hangout would be set slightly to one side of the hardware store. The diner, barbershop, and salon would be found a block further down the main highway, near the sheriffs and fire departments. There’d be two church options- the smaller Catholic one differentiated from the Protestant church by their “Thursday Bingo” sign out front. The movie theatre and bowling alley are two towns over, as is the Walmart.
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.” chef Paul Prudhomme
Eating at a local diner would be the Urbanite’s introductory food experience to small town life. Breakfast is served all day at the diner- eggs, pancakes, hash browns and bottomless coffee. Unlike urban eateries that cater to vegetarians or offer various ethnic foods, small town eateries mostly specialize in basic comfort food-chicken-fried steak, open faced roast beef or hot turkey sandwiches, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. The nearby Dairy Queen is only an option for dessert in the unlikely event that the vast array of the diner’s pie offerings (pecan, apple, key lime, or berry cobblers) are somehow not enough.
There could be regional specialties in any small town diner though- Minnesota’s tater tot hot dishes, cheese curds in Wisconsin, Hatch Chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico, grits or biscuits and gravy throughout the South. Small town diners do not apologize for carbs, and everyone is likely to call the waitress and the cook at the grill by name. Our Urbanite would eat well in his first small town diner, and be well-fortified for an iconic basketball game experience.
This is how I idealistically imagined my Urbanite and Small Towner experiencing each other’s worlds. I wanted to believe that such a trade-off might collapse stereotypes, soften judgments, and narrow divisions. I hoped that each person would come away changed for the better – able to clearly see the benefits and downsides of both Urban and Small Town life. Maybe they’d conclude that no one person is better, just different, that no one way of living is better, just different. Maybe they’d listen more, disagree and hate less, respect other’s opinions more. Maybe.
But America, whatever its reasons, began this new year with renewed conflict- an invasion of another country- with other countries apparently in expansionist sights as well. Citizens are once again deeply divided- over the pros and cons, the implications, the legality or illegality of actions, the costs, the morality and human fallout. Against this backdrop, my imagined idealistic grand experiment for improved relationships among Americans seems very imaginary indeed.
Maybe one day such a “trading places” experiment could really happen- and perhaps help with healing America. Maybe. For now, my imagined urban-rural switch experiment towards understanding is just a naive idealistic exercise- out of step for now.
“We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years.” comic George Carlin
There are recent reports of the US military’s follow-on military strikes against boats in the Caribbean that are alleged to be involved in narcotics trafficking. These operations have sparked fierce debate. What rules should govern the use of force in any military operations? What are the international laws, rules of engagement (ROE), and military conduct (within or outside of declared war) that should be followed? And do these rules of engagement hinder, or strengthen national security?
Are Military Rules Arbitrary?
Current US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appears to believe that America’s warriors are being constrained by “arbitrary” rules and international expectations that he argues cost lives and hinder victory. In an excerpt from his book The Laws of War, For Winners (from Chapter 10 entitled “More Lethality, Less Lawyers”) he says:
“If our warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves, aren’t we just better off winning our wars according to our own rules?! Who cares what other countries think. The question we have to ask ourselves is, if we are forced to fight, are we going to fight to win? Or will we fight to make leftists feel good- which means not winning and fighting forever.”
This passage illustrates Hegseth’s apparent sentiments that rules of engagement (ROE), the Geneva Conventions, and other long-held pillars of international humanitarian law are bureaucratic political hinderances- apparently imposed by outsiders that have no real battlefield experiences. But he does not seem to acknowledge that rules of engagement were not arbitrarily dreamed up by ivory tower academics. They were begun with WWII participants from across the world- senior military officers, strategists, and combat-experienced practitioners. They brought their firsthand knowledge in industrial warfare, battlefield medicine, POW handling, civilian protection issues, etc.- gritty empirical battlefield realities of war. Additionally, these contributors to ROE were well-acquainted in the realities of winning wars.
The Framework Behind the Rules
So with this current debate rekindled, it’s worth briefly reviewing what these wartime rules actually are, what they’re intended to do, and why professional international militaries rely on them- not as obstacles, but tools that support lawful, effective, and legitimate operations.
Wartime rules fall under the framework of what is called international humanitarian law (IHL).IHL applies universally to all parties in any armed conflicts, with the GenevaConventions at its core. Since 1949, The Geneva Conventions established the common standards for the protection of civilians, wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, and other noncombatants, with additional interpretations and applications added over the years.
The core rules of engagement (ROE) for wartime are based upon three principals: military necessity, military proportionality, and the distinction between combatants and civilians.
Military necessity: The use of force should only achieve a legitimate military objective. It must be proportionate to the threat, and expended at the minimal force that accomplishes the mission.
Example– During the 1968 My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, military necessity was not followed. Excessive force was used when there was no direct threat, no hostile fire from unarmed civilians, with a lack of clear mission achieved. Hundreds of noncombatant men, women, children, and infant villagers were killed.The US was technically held accountable later, though it was considered inconsistent with the severity of the massacre.
Military proportionality: Force must not be excessive to the military advantage gained.
Example– This rule of military proportionality was broken by Russia during the Chechen War in 1999. Their military objective to neutralize a small number of Chechen fighters- possibly located in the city of Grozny- was disproportionate to their heavy unguided rocket and artillery bombardments. Vast portions of Grozny were flattened or damaged, and thousands of civilians who were unable to flee, were killed or injured. The scale of destruction clearly outweighed military objectives, and Russia was condemned by the UN and other human-rights organizations, though Russia is not part of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was never held accountable.
Distinguishing combatants: There are lawful targets for military attack. Protected persons are civilian noncombatants (particularly medical and religious personnel). Protected objects are civilian areas, especially infrastructure such as hospitals or schools.
Example– After some heavy-handed military missteps (e.g. Bloody Sunday in 1972), the British forces in Northern Ireland in 1969-1998 successfully distinguished combatants by implementing “minimum force” protocols against IRA militants. The British strategically used intelligence-driven policing and arrests, non-lethal or limited force tools, containment, etc. The strategy eventually led to the IRA entering a peace process.
What Do Rules of Engagement Achieve?
To summarize, following ROE and the Geneva Conventions gives any military public legitimacy, both at home and abroad. It builds trust with partners, allows intelligence-sharing, and reassures coalitions that a military force is committed to lawful conduct and professionalism.
Any military that follows universal protocols undermines the enemy propaganda that insurgents and terrorists use to recruit fighters and gain local support. Conversely, it has been historically shown that abuse of protocols strengthens the enemy, not the war effort- e.g. the Iraq War’s Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal or Vietnam’s Phoenix Program Detentions. Both abusive strategies caused major damages to US legitimacy locally and back home.
Rules of engagement also improve operational performance- because distinguishing targets correctly reduces friendly-fire incidents, prevents wasted firepower, and keeps forces disciplined and effective.
Finally, following rules of engagement and conventions does not just protect civilians but safeguards our own forces. By reinforcing norms of lawful treatment, humane reciprocal behaviors increase the odds of protecting our own forces during warfare. While some may argue that not all adversaries respect these norms, the majority of state militaries do- so the odds of protecting our own forces increase. Especially when it comes to captured prisoners, the atrocities like mass executions, starvation, forced labor and medical experiments of earlier wars drove soldiers to demand the universal conventions that now protect future POWs.
Real-World Guidance
Rules of engagement and Geneva Conventions were written by warfighters, not armchair theorists. They knew warfare, and how to win at it- and understood the use of both short and long-term strategies. The US military should not abandon the effective lessons of ROE and international humanitarian law, learned through blood and experience.
