Blog Up: Notes from Thermopylae from good friend (personal, professional, and SWJ) and deep thinker Dakota Wood. Dakota is a retired U.S. Marine and most recently a national security/defense analyst who loves America and what it stands for. He, like many others, believe ours is the greatest country in the world but is concerned about our relative decline of late and inability to make the decisions needed to stem the erosion of our strength, national identity, and culture. His blog is one way Dakota adds his voice in chorus with others to raise awareness of the challenges of our time.