Michael writes and lectures on political and national security issues, ranging from the war in Afghanistan, the rise of private military contractors and reforming the national security bureaucracy.  He is an expert on counter-insurgency and the growing influence and impact of non-state actors in global affairs.

In addition, Michael writes and speaks frequently on political affairs, with a particular focus on the role of speechwriting in the political process (the subject of his first book).  His January, 2010 Newsweek piece examining the question of whether America is “ungovernable” was picked up by numerous news outlets and is typical of his insightful political analysis.

A regular blogger at democracyarsenal.org where he pens the influential “Afghanistan Mission Creep Watch,” Michael also writes a regular column for AOL News. He is a frequent contributor to Politico, the New York Daily News, Newsweek and a host of foreign policy blogs and periodicals. During the 2008 presidential campaign he was the main contributor to the New York Times “Campaign Stops” blog.

Michael also served in the U.S. Department of State as chief speechwriter for U.S. Representative to the United Nations Bill Richardson and Undersecretary of State Stuart Eizenstat. He was also a chief speechwriter for Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and previously was a Senior Research Fellow at New America Foundation. Michael serves on the board of the National Security Network and has taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Here is a clip of Michael discussing Blackwater and private contractors on Al Jazeera English’s “Inside Story”.  He first appears at around the 5:00 mark.

Bio

A frequent commentator on politics and international affairs Michael’s work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, the St. Petersburg Times, the World Policy Journal, the New York Times, Foreign Policy, the New York Daily News, Forbes.com, Courier de la Planete, Talkingpointsmemo.com, Politico, Worth Magazine. He has also been featured on ABC News, Fox News, BBC TV and radio, South African television, Al Jazeera, Air America and XM Radio’s “Potus ‘08”.  Michael serves on the board of the National Security Network and has taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.  Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.

Miron takes audiences beyond the superficial tenets of libertarian thought, and examines the movement’s controversial stances on prostitution and drug use, exploring issues ranging from abortion to the war on terror.

Program Descriptions

Libertarianism, from A to Z:  The Case for Consequential Libertarianism

Modern political debate is dominated by the liberal and conservative perspectives.  Many people, however, find both views to be awkward and inconsistent.  Consequential libertarianism argues that most policies favored by the left and the right are counterproductive, so government should scale back or eliminate its interventions regarding vice, poverty, regulation, education, foreign affairs, discrimination, guns, abortion, gay marriage, and more. This means the consequential perspective is socially liberal and fiscally conservative; it wants government out of people’s bedrooms, and out of their wallets.

The Economic Case for Legalizing Drugs

Most societies outlaw drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Mainstream political discussion rarely challenges this policy, but theory and evidence both indicate that drug prohibition causes far more harm than drug use itself.  A better approach is therefore the one currently employed for alcohol and tobacco: legalize but use sin taxation, age restrictions, and related policies to moderate the unwanted consequences of drugs.

Obamanomics: Growing the Pie or Dividing the Pie?

Since President Obama took office in January, 2009, his administration has pursued a broad range of economic policies.  The purported goal has been to make the economy work better, such as by ending the recession, stabilizing the housing market, or reforming health care.  Thus, the policies claim to expand the economic pie, not just redistribute ownership.

The reality is different.  The fiscal stimulus aimed to grow the pie, but its design emphasized redistribution rather than efficiency.  Other new policies were almost entirely about redistribution, rather than about making the economy more productive.   It is no surprise, therefore, that the economy is recovering slowly; the economic policies pursued over the past ten months have been inimical to productivity and growth.

Bio

Jeffrey A. Miron is a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at Harvard University and the former chair of the economics department at Boston University. He has appeared as a commentator on CNN and PBS, and has written for the New York Times and Forbes magazine.  Miron earned his Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T., has served on the faculty at the University of Michigan and as a visiting professor at the Sloan School of Management, M.I.T.  He has published more than 25 articles in refereed journals and 30 op-eds in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Boston Business Journal. He has been the recipient of an Olin Fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, and a Sloan Foundation Faculty Research Fellowship. His area of expertise is the economics of libertarianism, with particular emphasis on the economics of illegal drugs.

Miron was one of the 166 economists to sign a letter to congressional leaders in opposition to the bailout plan put forth by the U.S. federal government in response to the global financial crisis of September–October 2008. He advocated that those companies that floundered during the crisis should be bankrupt instead of receiving government help.

Program Description

In her lectures, Kayla not only discusses her experiences negotiating the changing demands on today’s military, but she addresses the changing role of women in society.  She expounds on the notion that as society changes, the military must necessarily change along with it – but, as we’ve seen with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military is often slow to accept and reflect the evolving views of society.  And, unfortunately, many of the issues that women face in the military are not exclusive to the military or to war.

In her role as an interpreter, Kayla was able to garner a deeper understanding of the Iraqi culture, and reinforce her view that it is crucial to the health of our society to embrace diversity and uphold the doctrines of basic human rights.  Kayla is able to help audiences better understand that their own challenges, navigating a society with ingrained gender roles and cultural preconceptions, are equally valid.

Kayla’s experiences in Iraq, and her struggle to reintegrate into civilian society upon her return home, enable her to relate to many different types of audiences.  She vividly describes the sometimes harrowing and heartrending challenges of being both a soldier/veteran and a wife, and how difficult it is sometimes to reconcile the two roles – this audio interview at NotAlone.com is a lucid encapsulation of Kayla’s experience.  Also, she is able to relay a first-hand perspective on the questionable treatment of Iraqi prisoners (she witnessed soldiers cross the line between interrogation and torture), the stress of combat, and the effects of physical injury and PTSD — her husband (also a veteran) suffered a serious brain injury sustained in combat.

One of Kayla’s overarching messages is that we MUST take care of our veterans.  We all have a role in the war effort, regardless of personal politics, and it is crucial that our returning soldiers get what they need in order to become contributing members of civilian society once again.  She recently addressed United States House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on this issue.  Her remarks, entitled “The Growing Needs of Women Veterans: Is the VA Ready?” can be found here.

Bio

Kayla is a member of the Board of Directors of Grace After Fire, a senior adviser of VoteVets.org and she regularly blogs at The Huffington Post and VetVoice.com.  She has appeared on numerous media outlets including CNN, Fox, NPR and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and elsewhere, to discuss the challenges faced by women serving in the armed forces and the additional challenges they face re-adjusting to civilian life as veterans.  She recently earned a Masters degree in International Affairs with a focus on the Middle East from American University, and continues to work on issues related to U.S. policy and the treatment of veterans.

Program Description

Back to the Future of Agriculture:
Steps Toward a Robust Food-Economy and a Sustainable Society

In his lectures, Philpott addresses the core economic, political and agricultural issues affecting the current state of food quality, availability and safety in America and throughout the world.  He also makes the case for sustainable methods of farming, processing and manufacturing by drawing on his own experience at Maverick Farms, and presenting examples of individuals, communities and governments who have demonstrated that sustainability can ultimately lead to healthy, cost-effective and profitable solutions.

Philpott details the major environmental and economic effects of industrial agriculture — its destruction of soil, its mammoth effect on climate change, and the way it creates dead zones in coastal ocean areas across the globe. In all of these examples, the way we grow food now threatens our capacity to grow food in the future.  The whole system depends on farmers being able to crank out huge amounts of crops that can be transformed into livestock feed to create cheap meat; into sweeteners for cheap sodas; and into additives for all the convenience fare we find at the supermarket and in the fast-food chains. In this system, farmers don’t grow food for people to eat, they grow industrial inputs that corporations transform into food.

He also argues that by eating and drinking, we literally embody the land by ingesting what grows from it. Since this relationship is so intimate, it isn’t surprising that the health of landscapes and the health of people are directly linked — landscapes such as the vast fields devoted to one crop, dependent on artificial fertilizers and a variety of poisons. Almost completely depopulated and devoid of diversity — indeed, at the whim of entire industries that exist to eradicate their biodiversity — these brutalized landscapes, it can be argued, are brutalizing our bodies in turn.  Healthy, beautiful agricultural landscapes tend to engender healthy, beautiful people. Unhealthy, ugly agricultural landscapes, by contrast, tend to create disease and dysfunction.

So, if food, our daily, inevitable link to the land, can be used to extract wealth from communities and enfeeble bodies – which our giant food-processing and agribusiness companies have certainly demonstrated – can’t it also be used to build wealth and health within communities?

Philpott answers this question and tackles many of the other crises and dilemmas we currently face. The challenge, as he sees it, is to move away from a food-production system designed to deliver minimal nutrition, as cheaply as possible, to a vast low-wage workforce, and to move toward a future where we’re all invested in contributing positively to both the physical and economic health of our country and the rest of the world.

Bio

Before moving to the farm in 2004, Philpott worked as a financial journalist in Mexico City and New York City, most recently holding the title of equity research editor for Reuters, where he wrote daily dispatches on the stock market. His work on food politics has appeared in Gastronomica, The Guardian, Mother Earth News, New Farm, and Sojourners.  Philpott serves of the board of directors of the Boston-based Chef’s Collaborative, a nationwide group that seeks to push the restaurant business in more sustainable directions; and on the board of advisers at the Austin, Texas-based Sustainable Food Center.

Garry began her professional career as part of the management team that launched MTV in 1981 and it is that experience that shaped her view that the media profoundly influence the attitudes and opinions of people on nearly every issue.  With her 1997 appointment as executive director of GLAAD, a position she held for eight years, Joan realized she had connected her professional experience with her powerful voice.

Whether it was debating Jerry Falwell and Bill O’Reilly, or taking on The New York Times and persuading the Times to change its policy to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has been at the forefront of issues that mean something to her family and to countless other families across America.  This was never more evident than during the transformational election of 2008, when Garry was the Co-chair of the National LGBT Finance Committee for Obama for America, leading a committee of 75 fundraisers nationwide to engage and mobilize the LGBT community to champion the candidacy of President-elect Obama.

Currently a featured blogger at The Huffington Post, Garry is working to help Americans connect the front page to the world in their own back yards. She offers commentary on issues of relevance to the gay community as a columnist with The Washington Blade, and her personal essays have been published in The Newark Star Ledger, The New York Times and elsewhere.

Program Descriptions

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time:  LGBT Equality

As one of America’s most prominent gay rights leaders, Garry offers thoughts on the current state of the movement,  examines it in terms of historical context and considers its trajectory over the next 5-10 years.  She addresses the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of leadership, and proposes (and answers) difficult questions about the most effective ways to achieve success.

Goal-Oriented, Team-Driven Leadership

After a decade at the helm of one of the most visible gay rights organizations in America, Garry’s perspectives on leadership are authentic and unique.  From debating Jerry Falwell to persuading the New York Times to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has demonstrated leadership attributes that are forceful, effective and at the same time empathetic and respectful.  In her lecture, she shares the lessons gleaned from both her tenure as the Executive Director of GLAAD, and during the preceding fourteen years as a cable television executive with positions in strategic planning and new business development.

Media and its Impact on Changing Hearts and Minds

Historically, civil rights movements have focused on government, politics and the law to effect change.  The gay civil rights movement may have been the first to recognize and understand the power of the media to shape attitudes and opinions.   Garry shares the history and successes of this media activism, offering valuable lessons on the power of media advocacy to bring an issue to light and in so doing, change hearts and minds.

Activism: A How-To Guide

As a prominent civil rights leader with demonstrated success in effecting change, Garry speaks about what it means to be an activist, the forms activism can take and the strategies and tactics that can be employed to move people to action.

Making a Difference in Non-Profit America:
Can You Really Making A Living Doing Something You Care About?

Garry tells her own story – diving into a non-profit leadership role after a successful career as a media executive – and offers insight into non-profit work – the skills and expertise she brought with her from corporate America and the new ones she unearthed.

Bio

Garry plays a critical role as a visible media spokesperson and critic.  In 1999, Entertainment Weekly featured her on its list of the “100 Most Influential People In Entertainment.”  Garry’s articulate advocacy has been featured across all national news networks, with notable media appearances including NBC’s “Today;” ABC’s “World News Tonight;” PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer;” CNN’s “NewsNight with Aaron Brown;” CNBC’s “Dennis Miller Live;” numerous appearances on CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC (including “Hardball” with Chris Matthews) and Fox News Channel (including “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Hannity & Colmes”).

Her comments are frequently sought by leading newspapers, magazines and news services, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age and PR Week, among others; and her thought-provoking op-ed essays have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and USA Today.

During her eight-year tenure at GLAAD, Garry led the organization through a series of high-profile campaigns, most notably GLAAD’s highly successful public education initiative to combat and expose the defamatory rhetoric of “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger.

Garry lives in New Jersey with her partner of 27 years and their three children. Her landmark 1993 court challenge to New Jersey’s second-parent adoption law made Garry the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner’s biological children.  She also blogs with and about her kids at www.whosthegrownup.com, and on her own at www.joangarry.com.  In the spirit of using her voice to advocate for change, Garry is the first and only female singing member of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.