Compass Points - Global Dome
Massive projects are built on massive discussions.
Compass Points - Global Dome
Massive projects are built on massive discussions.
July 27, 2025
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Sunday is a good day for reflection.
Very large, very important projects require continuous discussion, discourse, and debate from a vast number of people.
Just ask Michael Guetlein.
General Michael Guetlein is the US Space Force General who found out just this past week that he is now in charge of leading the creation of the enormous missile defense system over the United States, the Golden Dome. When does the Commander-in-Chief want the Golden Dome completed? Most likely he wants it completed today, but he might give Michael Guetlein a few weeks.
"Anything interesting happen at work today, honey?"
Decades from now when the Golden Dome is a tremendous success and the history is written, it will be a history not of smoothly proceeding from point A, to point B, to point C. Instead, it will be a history of stops and starts, dead ends and u-turns, and contentious meetings and tempers lost. It is through the interaction of passionate, professional people that the future is built. Without all the discussion, discourse, and debate, there can be no success.
Author, J.B. Shurk, recently wrote on the importance of discussion and debate
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It is important to debate ideas. Debating those who disagree with you clarifies your own thoughts and shores up weaknesses in your reasoning. Civil argument is wonderful exercise for the mind. Healthy minds make good citizens. Good citizens maintain strong societies.
It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to conclude that one of the first signs of a crumbling society is the inability of its people to argue peacefully among themselves.
I think most people born before 1990 would agree that public debate has disintegrated over the last three decades. We are no longer able to argue passionately — perhaps even shouting at each other — and end our disagreements by shaking hands, smiling, and moving on. Everything today is a vicious grudge match that participants treat as existential in nature — either I win this debate or my worth as a person is zero!
Ideological zealotry has replaced thinking. Thinking requires a person to accept the limitations of his knowledge and the possibility that he might be wrong. Ideological zealotry short-circuits the mind’s capacity for reason and prevents those so afflicted from enjoying true creativity.
. . . At some point as we move from adolescence to adulthood, those with enough curiosity to chase answers in this life have an epiphany: Truth abides regardless of how vigorously it is tested. It is only when we are willing to leave the relative safety of what we already know to ask questions about what we do not that we can intellectually, morally, and spiritually prosper. A person’s convictions are only as strong as that person’s willingness to test those convictions daily. Faith leads us to truth, and truth leads us to faith.
-- J.B. Shurk
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Compass Points salutes General Michael Guetlein and all those who will help him create the Golden Dome. Of course, the strength of the US is composed of many parts and pieces. Someday the Golden Dome will be part of the strength of the US. Today the US is strong because of many parts and pieces including its robust economy, because of hard working mothers and fathers watching over strong families, and because of a strong military, including the US Marine Corps.
Making sure the Marine Corps remains strong today and stronger tomorrow is a massive undertaking all its own. Very large, very important projects require continuous discussion, discourse, and debate from a vast number of people. Fortunately the Marine Corps has a vast community of Marines and friends of the Corps making sure the Marine Corps moves toward a better future. Forward deployed Marines on amphibious ships are not a “Golden Dome”, but they are a kind of “Global Dome”, protecting the US day and night from dangers around the world.
Over the last week, Compass Points readers have generated online and off a cornucopia of comments, insights, and analysis. Compass Points appreciates all readers who in their own ways are continuing to build the discussion about a stronger Marine Corps, and also thanks all our readers who served as seminar leaders this week by providing topics, articles, and comments. Many thanks!
Batter up! Happy Sunday Marines of MCCP! Grok:”**Debate:**
1. **Abraham Lincoln (1860 Presidential Debates):** Lincoln's persistence in the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, despite losing the Senate race, showcased his rhetorical skill and moral clarity on slavery. His steadfast arguments against the expansion of slavery elevated his national profile, leading to his 1860 presidential victory. He outmaneuvered opponents through relentless preparation and clear reasoning, even when public sentiment was divided.
2. **Margaret Thatcher (UK Parliament, 1970s-1980s):** Known as the "Iron Lady," Thatcher’s unyielding commitment to her economic and social policies during heated parliamentary debates helped her push through controversial reforms. Her persistence in defending privatization and deregulation, despite fierce opposition, reshaped Britain’s economy and solidified her legacy as a transformative leader.
**Warfare:**
1. **Winston Churchill (World War II, 1940-1945):** Churchill’s dogged resolve during Britain’s darkest hours, particularly during the Battle of Britain, inspired a nation under siege. His refusal to negotiate with Nazi Germany and his relentless push for Allied unity and strategy, including the eventual D-Day invasion, were pivotal to victory.Persistence in both arenas—debate and warfare—often turns the tide through sheer determination, strategic clarity, and refusal to yield under pressure.”! Never give up we will turn the tide! Ohrahhhh!