Compendium

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Conscious Ethical Integration: A Practical Solution for Mitigating Armed Conflict

Richard Mathewson, JD, U.S. Army Veteran America has long been a leader in global affairs. As a Constitutional Republic, this country represents liberties and individual rights that much of the world has not experienced but many desire. This inevitably invokes envy in others. Many choose to criticize and degrade America instead of contributing to its improvement and progression. But for all the criticism and animosity directed at the United States, it continues to shi

3 days ago19 min read

Honorable Warfare: The Golden Rule in Armed Conflict

Richard Mathewson, JD, U.S. Army Veteran The Golden Rule is more than an anachronistic concept relegated to the archives of history. It is an active living principle that undergirds military doctrine. Cloaked in the garment of honor, the Golden Rule is as applicable to modern armed conflict as it was to the chivalrous knights of the Middle Ages. But for the average warfighter, honor may be more an intellectual ideal than a practiced virtue. Because honor exists in the

3 days ago15 min read

Protecting Civilians in Armed Conflict in the Age of AI

Richard Mathewson, JD, U.S. Army Veteran Technology is beneficial when used ethically but destructive when misused. With armed conflict, technological advancements continue to rewrite the rules of warfare. Battlefield operations include predictions of damage to targets and estimates of civilian casualties. And although there are laws of war that prohibit “unlawful” civilian casualties, the fact remains that innocent civilians are killed. Human life is a sacred thing,

3 days ago8 min read

America’s Sacred Calling to Lead by Example:

Preserving the Dignity of Humanity in Armed Conflict Richard Mathewson, JD, U.S. Army Veteran Although dignity and equal rights for humanity is a universal concept, America has a unique opportunity to lead by example in human rights in armed conflict. The United States has one of the most powerful fighting forces in the world. Thus, it is important that the conduct of the military forces represents the ethos of the nation. This nation’s foundation was constructed from hu

May 3014 min read

Honoring Humanity During Civil Disorder:

Ethical Use of Force by Law Enforcement By Richard Mathewson © 2026 The Kincade Society ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The First Amendment right to assemble is fundamental to citizen participation in this Constitutional Republic. This right empowers the citizens because it gives them voice in the shared society in which they live. For this reason, it must be cherished and treated as sacred by government authorities responsible for preserving and protecting the welfare of the

May 3020 min read

Protecting the Church in Times of Unrest:

Self-Defense in Church Security Assessments By Richard Mathewson © 2026 The Kincade Society ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Religious observance is sacred to the individual. It is a moral truth protected by civil law. International law acknowledges this. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution ensures the free exercise of religion. Each State in the Union has some degree of protection for religious observance embedded in its constitution. From local laws to gl

Apr 2221 min read

Psychology in War:

Applying Psychoanalytic Theory to Increase Ethical Literacy in Armed Conflict By Richard Mathewson © 2026 The Kincade Society ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT People who experience internal psychic conflict tend to project this onto the external world around them. When this happens, the outside world mirrors the inside conflict. The personality develops ways of processing reality through psychological defense mechanisms that often distort it. In the context of war, such di

Apr 2029 min read

Bellum Moralis:

Centering Ethics in Armed Conflicts to Mitigate Civilian Casualty By Richard Mathewson writing for The Kincade Society Can War Be Ethical? On its face, “war” doesn’t seem ethical. How could something so heinous, so violent have anything to do with ethics. A more pointed question is: How is killing ever moral ? Especially the “pre-meditated” killing that defines war. In criminal law, pre-meditated killing is a capital offense. In war, it is effective execution of the miss

Apr 179 min read

Accusations Do Not Equal Guilt

Information is a double-edged sword that defends or destroys depending on the one wielding it. The Age of Information emerged alongside a technological deluge that swept over a slumbering world unprepared for the cataclysmic consequences to follow. Few people were prepared for the abrupt transformation from controlled information accessible only to a few to readily available knowledge that anyone with an internet-capable device could acquire. The World Wide Web made it possib

Feb 2210 min read

Importance of Accuracy in Pro Se Representation

Pro se representation is a constitutionally protected right but it comes with an implied responsibility to understand how the legal system works. Taking on one’s own representation in a legal matter may seem brave and noble, but it is also risky and potentially harmful. Lacking legal competence can spell disaster in a pro se context. But there are things in self-representation one can do to enhance their success. One such factor that may contribute to a favorable ou

Feb 206 min read

Distinguishing Facts, Evidence, and Opinions in Legal Contexts

Words are key to successful communication. Without words, we are constrained by primitive intercourse and a whole lot of unconfirmed assumptions about what the other person is thinking or how they are receiving or understanding what we are trying to communicate to them. This often leads to confusion, conflict, and chaos. To be sure, words are not per se the only form of communication. Much communication between people is nonverbal. But words allow us to be more specific in o

Feb 1415 min read

The Right to Protest and The Tension Between Private Interests and State Interests

America is an alchemical creation. The principles upon which it was founded—liberty, sovereignty, self-rule—were drawn from deep wells of wisdom, meant to serve as the Great Work made manifest. The Republic, in its purest form, was intended as the Philosopher’s Stone, a transmutation of tyranny into self-governance, of darkness into light. But, as it is said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The American Experiment did not work out exactly the way it was inten

Feb 1412 min read

Do Not Trust Then Verify—Instead, Verify Then Trust:

A Threat Assessment Perspective The common aphorism “trust but verify” is a catchy cliché, tossed around haphazardly like a balloon in a Briarpatch, but it falls short of passing the smell test of reason. Like many well-intentioned maxims, this one feels great to say but fails to impart actionable wisdom. It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It appears that the aphorism “trust but verify,” popular though it may be, is just another stone constructing

Feb 86 min read

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