Lane von Herzen: For the Record

My Third Novel's Conclusion, My Heartbreak

My heart begins to break when I think about completing this particular book -- because this narrative has sustained me like no other story I've known. It's both more personal and more universal than my other works. But beyond memory and archetype, it's a cri-de-coeur about needing to become the person one is destined to be. And in the writing, I have met my own life's work, my own fated journey -- having the sense all the while that the pages are suffused with a resonance, an energy, an electrified field that defies explanation. Writers hope and pray to be overtaken by a work in this way -- to be conscripted into passionate service of a profound story. To experience it even once in a lifetime seems a great privilege. I still have several months before this novel is complete, and this constitutes my reprieve. Because I'm not ready for the beauty to end.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

For the Record

For the record, I support Senator Mark Kelly for his ethical stand in defense of the sovereignty of the United States.

If anyone needs to grasp how challenging some of the current assaults on United States sovereignty are, they can reference my recent post entitled Recommendations Regarding Fade Deployments.

Senator Kelly has endeavored to express to members of the U.S. military that they need to ensure they are acting in accordance with the Constitution and not against it.

In truth, everyone at this time needs to ensure that his or her actions stand in alignment with their highest values and principles, and not opposed to them.

All significant decision-making should include the questions Is this decision reflective of my highest ethics? Am I proud of the way this decision reflects on my character? Would I be supported by my family, my friends, and my community if this decision were widely known?

Yes, military decision-making is based on a strict chain of command.

But individuals within the military have never faced the challenges to individual and national sovereignty we are now encountering.

This territory is unprecedented within U.S. history, just as it is unprecedented within the full arc of human history.

So, our assessments must be more rigorous, our standards must be higher, and our safeguards must be more thorough.

Secretary Hegseth needs to withdraw his pursuit of Senator Kelly through the military's judicial system in recognition of Senator Kelly's profound and ongoing courage in expressing his concerns for our nation's wellbeing.

Senator Kelly, I stand with you. So should we all.