"Raving maniac" or "distinguished lecturer"? Same difference

Having just signed up to give a "distinguished lecture" at National Defense University, it's good to know my ideas haven't lost their capacity to spook people. I wouldn't want to become too accepted.

Got an email from a fellow author today who's a 20-year-plus USAF officer (retired, now in industry). After encouraging me to read about Col. John Boyd and stating his hope that I use his ideas in BFA (I do), he ended the piece by noting that he'd recently spoken with someone at the National War College (part of NDU) and asked him if he was familiar with my work. The response? "Everyone around here thinks he's a raving maniac."

My old hand then went on to say: "That tells me two things: a) You're incontrovertibly on the right track, otherwise they wouldn't be so worried about you, and b) If "everybody" thinks that way, then there's a helluva lot of group-think happening on the National War College faculty. You've struck a nerve---keep sticking it!"

You have to love emails like that!

I only hope I get a chance to sign that faculty member's book. . .

On a related note, got a nice thank you from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (not The Man, but one of the men in the office) for coming in to brief the new Secretary of the Navy nominee (whom I was impressed with) a couple of weeks back. The hand-written P.S. on the bottom read "I note the discussion made your blog."

No "cut it out" or "why I outta . . .!" Just "noted."

Me, I'm just glad they read the blog . . .

Neat constellation of opinions huh? Read by some, scorned by others. Brought in to brief senior PNT officials, couldn't keep my job at the Naval War College. NDU invites me as distinguished lecturer despite many (I'll assume not all) staff considering me a raving maniac. Some retired military officers think I'm dead on, others send me letters (more than once) offering to kick my ass--personally.

Striking nerves all right. Real "bringer of pain and delight," as they said on Star Trek.