Hard Times, Hard Lessons: What My Travels and Life Can Teach Us About Complacency

In my career selling software—logging millions of miles in the air and on the ground, working with companies around the world to identify problems, implement solutions that boosted productivity, improved people’s lives, and delivered stronger bottom-line results—then building an internet startup, and paying it forward with venture capital and funding a company that gives back and supports the military and first responders, I’ve lived and worked in some of America’s most dynamic cities: Cleveland, New York City, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Cincinnati. I was in NYC during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, an early warning sign of the threats we face from radical ideologies. I’ve also spent time in Minneapolis and Detroit, observing how urban landscapes evolve. In 1995, I moved back to Columbus to launch my business and raise my family, hoping to instill solid Midwestern values in my children amid a familiar environment.

Over the decades, I’ve witnessed a gradual shift in these cities—what I call the “Haji creep,” the slow but steady growth of Muslim communities, particularly Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and Columbus, Ohio, starting under the Clinton administration in the 1990s. Large waves of Somali refugees were resettled, leading to Minneapolis now hosting the largest Somali population in the U.S., estimated at over 64,000, while Columbus ranks second with around 22,000. These communities have grown into vibrant enclaves, but they’ve also brought challenges, including reports of cultural clashes and concerns over assimilation.

As a husband to a successful realtor and a father, my wife and I both instilled God, family, and country in our five sons who have served or are currently serving, and now a new son-in-law who is a Marine. I was initially optimistic. I used to joke that exposure to American pop culture—MTV, VH1, freedoms of speech and choice, and the promise of capitalism—would help these newcomers fully integrate as proud Americans. But reality has proven otherwise. In places like Minneapolis and Columbus, there are growing worries about the enforcement of Sharia-like norms in community affairs and isolated incidents of tension, including violence directed at non-Muslims or those perceived as outsiders. While many Somalis contribute positively, the lack of thorough vetting has allowed problematic ideologies to take root, echoing broader patterns of extremism.

This complacency hits close to home. Just look at recent events in Minneapolis, home of squad member Ilhan Omar and where mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, a Minnesota state senator, sparked outrage by waving a Somali flag and addressing voters in Somali during a campaign event, leading to chants that critics interpreted as “Somalia first.” The viral video has fueled national backlash, with some calling it a pledge of loyalty to Somalia over America, amplifying fears that cities like Minneapolis are “falling” to foreign influences. This isn’t isolated—New York City, scarred by the 1993 and 2001 attacks, now grapples with similar shifts in power and culture. In the 2025 mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, a young Muslim assemblyman with limited executive experience, has surged to frontrunner status, leading polls with 43% support against Andrew Cuomo’s 33% and Curtis Sliwa’s 14%, though the gap is narrowing amid concerns over his socialist policies and background in a heated campaign marked by allegations of Islamophobia.

My friend, retired U.S. Army Ranger Sergeant John Tackett, a former U.S. Air Marshal who defended us against Islamist extremists, puts it starkly: “Is anyone surprised? For decades, we’ve allowed waves of newcomers from unstable regions—people fleeing chaos but still clinging to the same failed ideologies—to settle here, hoping to make here into there.

“Take Columbus, Ohio, for example. It’s home to the second-largest Somali population in the United States—many from Mogadishu, a city once torn apart by warlords and tribal conflict. In a place like that, the power structures are brutal and unforgiving. A person who might have been a mid-level figure in some clan back home can come here and, through loopholes and political correctness, climb into positions of wealth, influence, or even power.

“Maybe this is the reckoning we need as Americans—to finally feel the consequences of our own ‘accept everyone’ mentality, wrapped in the comforting language of tolerance and wokeness. We’ve forgotten that not every ideology, culture, or worldview is compatible with the foundations that made this country strong.

“There’s a saying I’ve always believed in: Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. We’re clearly living in that last phase—and it’s starting to show.

“When John and I were younger, there was a song with a line that stuck with me: A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. As a nation, we’d better decide what we stand for—and soon—or the hard times ahead will make that decision for us.”

John’s words resonate deeply, especially when considering global parallels. A chilling opinion piece from a Boko Haram kidnapping survivor highlights the perils of Western silence on radical Islamist violence in Nigeria, where over 7,000 Christians have been killed this year alone in targeted attacks disguised as local conflicts. Groups like Boko Haram thrive on unchecked ideologies, leading to ethnic and religious cleansing that could spread if ignored. The author’s call for U.S. intervention—to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and provide aid—serves as a stark warning: Complacency abroad mirrors what we’re seeing at home.

I predict that within the next decade, Columbus could elect its first Muslim mayor, following patterns in other cities. Shame on us for not vetting immigrants more rigorously, ensuring true assimilation, American values and patriotism. We’ve invited hard times by prioritizing tolerance over vigilance. But as John’s adage reminds us, these lessons can forge stronger men—and a stronger America—if we act now.

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