Raising doubt about Juliane Gallina Gloss’s suitability for a high-ranking CIA position based on her son’s misguided actions reveals a lack of understanding. Meghan McCain, usually known for her insightful commentary, expressed this thought in a poorly considered tweet. Even though her son, a young adult, had found our country to be so disillusioned that he went to fight for Russia against Ukraine, this should not affect Gallina Gloss’s employment. McCain’s criticism seems to question the parental skills of those whose offspring go astray, unfairly targeting a mother who serves as a deputy director at the CIA.
The son, according to reports, exhibited an unusual persona, pushing the boundaries of the norm. He was fascinated by environmentalism, feminism, communism and support for Palestinian rights, often campaigning in far-flung corners of the globe. His actions did not mirror his parents’ patriotism – expressed through decades of honorable service in the U.S. Navy. Instead, he seemed to reject his American roots, going so far as posting a video of the U.S. flag burning online and expressing his embarrassment about his origin.
His later years sharply contrasted the respectable careers of his parents. Despite this glaring gap, Meghan McCain, in her simplistic judgement, placed the blame solely on them. From my perspective, her views appeared to be those of an individual who’d yet to experience the complexities of raising teenagers.
The tale of the Galls’ son remarkably parallels the narrative of the prodigal son. This time-tested story has been told in multiple forms, including in the rendition by Jesus Christ as the ‘parable of the prodigal son’. In this account recorded in Luke’s Gospel, the wayward son of a rich man squanders his inherited wealth in reckless living, until he must take up the humblest of occupations – pig farming.
A contemporary version of this tale is embodied by Michael Gloss. Born to privileged parents dedicated to serving their country, he resided in the affluent suburbs of Washington, DC. His mother, Juliane Gallina, holds the position of CIA deputy director for digital innovation. A U.S. Naval Academy alumna and its first female brigade commander in 1991, she has thirty years of work experience in the intelligence sphere.
Michael’s father, Larry Gloss, is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, awarded for his valor in Operation Desert Storm and the Iraq War. Last year, this couple was struck by the tragic news of their son’s death. As a soldier, Michael had suffered heavy casualties in the ongoing conflict, and ‘massive blood loss’ on the battlefield had led to his death.
Most puzzling is the choice of an American with a lineage deeply rooted in patriotism to bear arms for a foreign power. The ideological chasm between the environment he grew up in and his adoptive cause is vast. At the young age of 21, he was dealing with mental health issues, and had chosen to discontinue his medication.
Larry Gloss revealed that his son had always been unique, from his earliest years. In Larry’s own words, Michael had exhibited antiestablishment, anti-authority tendencies practically since birth. His leanings extended to a fondness for The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and left-wing and extreme left politics.
Driven by these interests, Michael journeyed to Italy to acquire knowledge about sustainable agriculture and to Turkey to help in reconstructing buildings damaged by earthquakes. His ventures even led him to Georgia where he participated in counter-cultural movements. Eventually, they steered him to Russia with an intention to contribute to clean water supply initiatives, but instead, he succumbed fighting a war.
Michael’s actions were, as his father put it, a result of his mental illness; they defied reason. Parents who have experienced the roller coaster of raising teenagers no doubt share empathy with the Glosses. They are well aware that the phase of ‘teenage’ introduces the hard truth: the future direction of children is not always within their control, but largely up to the children themselves.
In my own family, I have a sister who, with her husband, raised four girls. Despite instilling high moral values, constantly engaging with their lives, and maintaining a disciplined environment, they were taken aback when one of their daughters spiraled into drug addiction.
A colossal effort, prayers, and unwavering attention were poured into this child. While her sisters leading clean lives occasionally felt resentful due to the extra attention she received, their strife ultimately led her to a path of self-discovery and rehabilitation. She turned her life around—recovering from addiction, obtaining university honors, and eventually attending medical school.
Now a professional doctor, she’s soon to embark on a new chapter at a leading trauma center on the West Coast—committed to saving others’ lives. Looking back, it seems our fundamental role as parents was merely to ensure the survival of our children, a truth that perhaps can be only fully understood through personal experience.
Perhaps one day, when Meghan McCain has experienced the journey of raising teenagers firsthand, she will gain a deeper understanding of this complexity, instead of passing quick judgements.
The post Gallina Gloss’s Position Challenged by Meghan McCain Over Son’s Actions appeared first on Real News Now.
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