On Wednesday, Secretary Kerry gave a speech at the State Department outlining a two state solution for the conflicts in the Middle East. With just three weeks until the new administration is set to take over, this last ditch, show of 'effort' included the Secretary claiming "no American administration has done more for the security of Israel than Barack Obama's." Nothing could be further from the truth. For nearly 70 years, the State of Israel has served as an example of democracy and stability ... Read more

In September, I read a story out of Peru, Illinois about a man who was found unresponsive in his home, where children were present. The officers administered Narcan and saved the man’s life. But sadly, the outcome for this man is not the outcome for many. As a community, we must work together to combat the drug and opioid epidemic that is taking the lives of nearly 30,000 people every year. Whether you witness it firsthand or not, this crisis is taking a life every 18 minutes and has significant... Read more

This past September, we observed the fifteenth anniversary of one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history. On what we now call Patriot Day, the observance of the 9/11 anniversary, we remember that fateful day by honoring the lives of our fallen brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and children who were taken from us by pure evil. We celebrate our nation’s patriotism and reflect on how that day forever changed our lives, our country, and our world. One thing we have seemingly forgotten... Read more

Last Sunday, I sat in church listening to the gospel of Luke and the story about the rich man and Lazarus. This story reminded me that in the end we will not be judged by our success, our wealth or our social status. We will be judged by the compassion and kindness we show to others, especially those who are down on their luck or seemingly left behind. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate enough to have a home to live in, food on the table and a loving family who supports me. And today, I h... Read more

Last week, President Obama spoke at the ‘Leader’s Summit on Refugees’ and read a letter from a young boy named Alex. Alex wrote to the president about Omran Daqneesh – the young Syrian boy whose photograph and video went viral after he was placed in an ambulance, bloodied and dazed but calm, following an airstrike on civilians in Aleppo. The letter was touching, innocent, genuine, and an example for us all. However, the president took it and turned it into a political moment to say that we need ... Read more

I grew up in a middle class household as a typical Midwestern kid. Raised with the values that define our agricultural region of America, I learned to love others, treat people with respect, and to handle failures not by dwelling on them, but by learning from them. I was luckier than most in the sense that I saw the bigger picture… I had a window into poverty. My father was the director of a homeless shelter, called Home Sweet Home Mission. Yet to call this a typical homeless shelter would be a ... Read more

(CNN) I am an unapologetic American exceptionalist. I believe the United States of America was put on this Earth to be an example of self-governance and order in a world drowning in strongmen, oppression, and poverty. America’s presence in the world is a net benefit to other nations, plain and simple. But it is also a benefit to Americans. Throughout history, whenever we have withdrawn and isolated ourselves the world has suffered, and Americans have suffered, too. America’s withdrawal from the ... Read more

I'll never forget the young girl I met in September 2014 at a refugee camp in Iraq. She had been displaced by the Syrian civil war and her parents had just been killed by ISIS militants. At just 13-years old, she was responsible for herself and her younger brother with cerebral palsy. Her life was changed forever, but the strength in her eyes and the fight in her heart has stuck with me ever since. Over the years, the Syrian civil war has severely escalated and bled its way into headlines around... Read more

At a time of such great peril, our national security interests throughout the world have never been in a more vulnerable state than they are today. Just look around the world and you will see so many hotspots emanating threats from state actors like Iran, Russia, and North Korea. There is no more volatile region right now than the Middle East with the ongoing crisis in Syria and the cancer of ISIS sweeping the region. As a combat veteran of our nation’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I take very ... Read more

Our children need to believe that they live in the greatest country in the world, too. Let’s rise to the occasion. Read more