920 Million Videos and Counting

920 Million Videos and Counting

What if I told you that for the past 25 years, there has been a federal law on the books that has allowed child pornography to flourish? I wouldn’t be spouting the latest conspiracy theory; I’m referring to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which is and always has been a terrible law. There have been many discussions by both parties recently to repeal the law, not because of crimes against children but because it is costing politicians

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Why “Black Lives Matter” Matters

Why “Black Lives Matter” Matters

Black Lives Matter. Those words are not just important for white people to say, but to also mean it when they say it.  And in order to mean it, they must understand why it is so important.  To start, let’s get a little perspective. Americans who have been unable to operate their businesses for the past 10 weeks because the government shut them down have all gotten a taste of what oppression looks and feels like. During this time, powerful businesses like Walmart

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COVID-19: The Long Road to Recovery

COVID-19: The Long Road to Recovery

June 9, 2020 – I am only just beginning… June 5, 2020 – Still a ways to go, but perhaps we are starting to see it … June 4, 2020 – We must regain momentum … stagnation will destroy us May 31, 2020 – True for all right now … for many different reasons … but we must come together May 29, 2020 – Now it’s time for us all to start acting like it … May 29, 2020 – Now that we are “opening up”

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Vulnerability is Not a Weakness

Vulnerability is Not a Weakness

“I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell” – Matchbox Twenty Notwithstanding the façade of social media, it’s hard to imagine that many of us are getting through this period without a struggle, and perhaps a significant one. How could we not; never in our generations’ history have we dealt with such prolonged uncertainly and stress, leaving us wholly unprepared on an emotional level as to how and what we should be doing. Normal stress relievers are made more challenging by isolation

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PPP – We Must Act NOW!

PPP – We Must Act NOW!

For weeks we have held it together as a nation because we knew that “we were all in this together.” This is now no longer true with the unjust way the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was administered. By allocating not nearly enough funding, and giving it on a first-come, first-serve basis rather than a pro-rata basis, the government has systematically created a divisive program whereby taxpayer dollars will fund only some businesses while others will have to shut down. Those

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COVID-19: Braving the Storm

COVID-19: Braving the Storm

May 22, 2020 – Last 10 years of economic prosperity allowed for even weak businesses and leaders to thrive. Next twelve months are a totally different animal… May 20, 2020 – Lesson learned – there is strength in loyalty, not numbers… May 19, 2020 – Waiting to emerge and unleash … May 17, 2020 – Don’t let fatigue seduce you into thinking it’s ok to give up … May 14, 2020 – We did not stay home because the government

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COVID-19: We Must Persevere and Move Forward

COVID-19: We Must Persevere and Move Forward

“Be Prepared” – That is the Scout motto that was drilled into my head as young boy coming up through the Scouting ranks. This notion – and my OCD – led me into the Marine Corps, where constant preparedness is the culture: Marines are either preparing for war or at war. Those tenets have spilled over to my entire career, most recently in the form of a seminar I gave last month called “The Art of War in Business.” And yet, notwithstanding a lifetime

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Moving Forward in the Face of Fear

Moving Forward in the Face of Fear

Fellow Long Islanders: We find ourselves at a crossroads that is going to take each and every one of us to conquer. No household and no business stands alone. It is in times like these when we must dig deep, stay positive, and most importantly continue to fight on. Courage is not the absence of fear, but instead is the ability to move forward in the face of fear. We must continue to fight, not only to help protect the

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Red Flags

Red Flags

At long last, recent polls are showing that there is broad bipartisan support for so-called “red flag” laws, or laws that would allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are seen to be a risk to themselves or others. When I appeared on Jay Oliver’s show on LI News Radio shortly after the tragedies in Texas and Ohio, we discussed these proposed laws, the recent shootings, and the gun control

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20 Veterans a Day

20 Veterans a Day

Each day in America, more than 20 veterans commit suicide. That number is shocking but not surprising when we reflect on the conditions within which our veterans exist – they volunteer to serve our country for low pay and terrible living conditions, can be separated from their families without any say and put in prison if they refuse, are deployed to faraway lands where they are sometimes hated to the point that people seek to kill them and where they

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