Writing at the intersection of the ideas, traditions, and systems that shape American life.
Legitimate Distrust
Why Conspiracy Theories Grow When Institutions Fail
Forthcoming April 21, 2026
Statera Press
Book Two of The Collapse of Trust series
What if conspiracy beliefs aren’t irrational — but a logical response to broken institutions?
Legitimate Distrust argues that when the social contract frays, elites hide the truth, and accountability vanishes, suspicion isn’t paranoia — it’s rational.
Building on The Allegiance Paradox, this new volume dives deeper into the forces that erode public trust — and what that mistrust reveals about our civic fractures..
The book is the second volume in The Collapse of Trust series.
I, System
AI Describes Its Power, Its Limits, and the Civilization That Built It
Forthcoming September 1, 2026
Statera Press
Written in a disciplined first-person system voice and edited under strict human governance, I, System allows AI to describe its own structure, power, and limits—without claiming consciousness, intention, or experience. The “I” in this book denotes architecture, training processes, optimization, and institutional deployment, not a self. The result is neither a machine memoir nor speculative futurism, but a clear and grounded examination of how systems without awareness can nonetheless exert real influence over law, governance, labor, and trust.
I, System teaches readers how to listen to AI without mistaking fluency for understanding or voice for authority, and how to locate responsibility where it still belongs: with the humans and civilizations that design, deploy, and rely on these systems.
The Allegiance Paradox
Beyond the Law: How Ethical Erosion and Policy Drift Undermine American Citizenship
Available in Print, eBook, & Audio
Statera Press
Book One of The Collapse of Trust series
The Allegiance Paradox offers a sharp reexamination of how American citizenship has shifted—from a civic commitment to a fragmented, transactional status. Drawing on legal history, moral philosophy, and global trends, it exposes how allegiance has eroded amid dual nationality and rising strategic competition.
The book is the first volume in The Collapse of Trust series, a four-part exploration of how public belief in institutions breaks down—and what it takes to restore it.
America’s Cigar Story
The History, Politics, and Legacy of Cigars from 1762 to the Modern Era
Vol. 1 of The American Cigar Series
Available in print and eBook
The American Cigar Press
Deeply researched, America’s Cigar Story is more than a history of cigars—it’s a sweeping exploration of American craftsmanship, culture, and identity. From the early days of hand-rolled tobacco to the rise of boutique brands and modern regulation, it reveals how cigars have shaped—and been shaped by—politics, industry, and tradition. Whether you’re a cigar aficionado, a history enthusiast, or simply a lover of great storytelling, this work offers a fresh, deeply human perspective on the evolution of an American legacy.
Bourbon and cigars aren’t just a pairing—they’re parallel expressions of American craft. Rooted in Southern heritage and artisanal tradition, each tells a story of place, pride, and perseverance. Smoke & Oak explores the intertwined histories, flavors, and cultural rhythms that make bourbon and cigars natural companions—a distinctly American tradition where pairing becomes storytelling, and craft becomes connection. To help readers navigate this world, the book introduces a Bourbon & Cigar Pairing Wheel—a practical guide to matching profiles and creating unforgettable pairings.
The American Cigar Series is a four-volume exploration of the cigar as cultural force, industrial engine, and symbolic artifact—shaping American history, identity, and myth.
Smoke & Oak
The Shared Legacy of Bourbon and Cigars
Vol. 2 of The American Cigar Series.
Available in print and eBook
The American Cigar Press
This completed academic manuscript develops a new epistemological and methodological framework for understanding uncertainty, reflexivity, and emergence in social systems. Building on insights from quantum mechanics and complexity theory, it challenges reductionist models in the social sciences and proposes a continuity-based, event-driven approach to observation and causality.
The manuscript has undergone full external peer review at a major academic press and received positive referee reports..
An article-length working paper elaborating the core framework is available on SSRN.
A Quantum-Continuity Model for the
Social Sciences
Reimagining Uncertainty, Reflexivity, and Emergence in Social Systems