We are honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by forcing people to pay for bombing Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan, then lying and telling them that this is all to protect American rights and freedoms.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
$49.8 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security nowhere to be found on 1/6/21.
CBP social media posts, post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, Homeland Security grant money, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, Real ID, tracking of cell phones, etc.) and strict post 911/GWOT security protocols in Washington DC appear to have played no role in preventing these crimes:
“The county’s rate of new infections continues to be very low. In the three-week period following the move into Phase 2, only two new infections were reported and both those were the result of people in the same family visiting another county, according to Island County Public Health.”
Sort of like rooting for your hometown high school football team to win the championship, but they can’t do it if other teams in other counties do poorly.
Decades of politics and life in America leads us to the realization that both major parties are OK with undeclared/unwon wars that never end, wasteful Homeland Security spending, the drug war, federal prohibition of marijuana, treating 18-20 year old adults as 2nd class citizens, an ongoing glorification of military service, forced charity and newspeople who take a pass on asking questions on these issues.
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
This would be the time to hear from elected leaders and top generals Re: lessons learned on all the issues that have doomed the Department of Defense track record for winning wars since DOD was established in 1949.
The formal congressional declaration of war would also be the time for a careful review of important issues such as: PTSD, suicide, GTMO/torture, use of contractors, war crimes, a $6.4 trillion price tag, lies about freedom, propaganda, dressing women to look like men, exit strategy, mission creep, nation building, reduction of traditional military benefits offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, who should register for the draft, etc.
Wasteful Homeland Security spending
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Homeland Security funding and performance?
What We Have Now
A $51.6 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security that fails to keep cartel product from showing up all over the US.
Billions of dollars spent every 12 months to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things.
The press release style of news reporting means that a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest drug bust/federal grant money award, etc. Newspeople post this statement as is.
A society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Freedom Re: marijuana?
Still controversial.
Treating 18-20 year old adults as 2nd class citizens
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
American culture is good for dividing adults up into groups of first and second-class citizens.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
We’re often told that The Troops are in distant lands fighting for American rights and freedoms, and that we should thank them for defending our freedoms.
The reality is that freedoms may come and go.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms-The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
None of these are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
As the decades of undeclared/unwon wars stack up (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.) the greater the cultural urge to glorify people who do, or did time in uniform.
If there is an honest reason to send people away into decades of undeclared/unwon wars overseas let’s hear all about it.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
Tax money-which some people intend to be used to help others via public assistance programs-also goes for failed wars that never end.
Helping others by donating to churches or private charities, food banks, etc. can avoid these conflicts.
Donors are free to opt out if a charity misbehaves.
People could keep more of their own money to donate to causes of their choosing if the federal government was not taking it to pay for wasteful programs.
Newspeople who take a pass on asking questions on these issues
The family friendly, hometown pride-oriented local small town papers and TV news folks are welcome to do interviews related to public policy. Unfortunately, they seem to have moved away from asking questions.
Ready to purchase a subscription to any Puget Sound area newspaper that will show initiative and curiosity in asking questions.
“And only one of the protesters was seen wearing a mask. The county’s Public Health director confirmed that the unmasked people packed together on the side of the highway were violating the state’s COVID-19 rules.”
Should decent people be placed on hold because bad people were doing bad things at the same time 3000 miles away?
The mask rules apply to individual people no matter what political causes they may support.
“Some of the people who traveled in our planes yesterday participated in the insurrection at the Capitol today,” she said. “Their violent and seditious actions at the Capitol today create further concern about their departure from the DC area. Acts against our democracy, our government, and the freedom we claim as Americans must disqualify these individuals from the freedom of flight.”
How do you separate these people from those who were not involved in any illegal activity?
Causing disruption on commercial aircraft is not to be tolerated no matter if you represent the Girl Scouts, the KKK or no group at all. The article offers no explanation.
“Airbnb says it will cancel all short-term reservations in the Washington, DC area next week, an escalation of its efforts around safety and the presidential inauguration.”
People of good will, who have attended the parade in the past, where the President may step out and wave to the crowds are not able to book a reservation because bad people did bad things?
What happened to the strict post 911/GWOT security protocols meant to maintain order on Jan 6th?
Welcome Home Troops
Thanks for risking your ass in Iraq & Afghanistan-working to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
Don’t miss our companion blog-found here: Old Man Blog
“And the relentless wind gusts clocked as high as 64 mph at the nearby Naval Air Station continued to slam against the passenger side of the cab, making it too difficult to open the door. So the 60-year-old driver had to climb through the passenger side window.”
“We don’t have a specific wind speed criterion for closing the bridge; it’s a call we make based on the (following) criteria, and we err on the side of public safety,” she said.
“Staff at our Traffic Management Center monitor the wind blowing across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge decks in three ways, all low-tech and all effective:
1) They monitor the wind socks on the bridges and issuing a warning when the socks are fully extended.
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
Both major political parties are OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second class citizens.
Sales restrictions on alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms are in place for 18-20 year old adults.
Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20. Can elected officials of any party or any member of the press help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
I have seen comments saying Twitter is a private business and free to set its own rules. Does that also apply to the florist or bakery that does not want to create a product for a gay marriage ceremony?
Does that also apply to a tavern that wants to allow indoor smoking?
If I ran a bakery-
Store policy:
We do quality cakes for all occasions-no customer application/background check required.
Growing numbers of happy customers and building our positive reputation is our goal.
Please tell your friends & contact us at any time.
In a free and honest society customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
“…FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week’s deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.”
“But the Washington State Patrol looked the other way, even setting up barriers during the nearly three weeks of nighttime protests on the freeway.”
After enabling criminal conduct, WSP will no longer enable criminal conduct:
“Blocking a freeway is a crime and no longer are we going to enable that criminal conduct to continue,” said State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead, who made the decision to no longer close the interstate. “We are not going to be allowing protesters to access the freeway unimpeded, and there are consequences for criminal conduct.”
If the Girl Scouts or the KKK enter the interstate and block traffic/risk public safety people must be able to count on elected officials and LE agencies to do their job.
Comments are open here, unlike many stories involving public policy.
The open attitude about sports reporting does not cross over to stories about the US Dept. of Homeland Security, big drug busts, The Troops, the War on Terror or local water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls.
You will see some newspeople questioning the failure of security on Wednesday, but in a general sense, coverage seems to be more about political personalities, political parties and group identities.
Undeclared/unwon wars that never end, wasteful Homeland Security spending, the drug war, Federal prohibition of marijuana, treating 18-20 year old adults as 2nd class citizens, an ongoing glorification of military service, & newspeople who do not ask questions.
By carefully concealing himself, he was able to blend in and slip by strict post 911/GWOT security protocols at the US Capitol update:
Post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, Homeland Security grant money, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, Real ID, tracking of cell phones, etc.) appears to have played no role in preventing these crimes:
An important component of a free society is that different people believe different things and are able to act on their beliefs.
An example:
Some parents are OK with public schools. Some want to send their children to private schools. Some want to homeschool their kids. People get to move off in different directions. This is a safety valve.
Americans were never meant to agree on matters of a personal nature. This is why we have so many different churches here.
People choose different churches to attend, or attend no church at all. This is a safety valve.
Years ago, it was understood that some people preferred to smoke. Some preferred to be vegan. Some preferred to eat meat. Some preferred electric cars, some preferred a powerful truck to pull a horse trailer.
We don’t ask voters to pick the two most popular churches and make plans for government to eliminate the rest because they may be spreading misinformation.
Will this help people to accept a one size fits all society?
I saw a comment somewhere that said Twitter is a private business and free to set its own rules. Does that also apply to the florist or bakery that does not want to create a product for a gay marriage ceremony? Does that also apply to a tavern that wants to allow indoor smoking?
If I ran a bakery-
Store policy:
We do quality cakes for all occasions-no customer application/background check required.
Growing numbers of happy customers and building our positive reputation is our goal.
Please tell your friends & contact us at any time.
In a free and honest society customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
Maybe there is a minimal terror threat these days.
If suicide bombers with concealed explosives packed on their bodies wanted to disrupt American society at the US Capitol, it looks like there would be no SWAT team to keep them out or to have them show ID and pass through the metal detector.
US Troops at the border, REAL ID, Homeland Security grant money, CBP social media posts, strict post 911/GWOT security protocols, a $51.6 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security, border wall efforts and the Post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, tracking of cell phones, etc.) appear to have played no role in preventing these crimes:
The War on Terror has prompted law enforcement authorities to calm the public by looking into the future and announcing that no credible threat exists.
“While officials say there are no credible threats following the bombing in Nashville, Long Island residents say they are still concerned.”
Where was the threat forecast before the Nashville event?
If the good guys can tell what the bad guys will do before they do it-surely, these powerful crime fighting tools will be used to shut down gang and cartel activity, heroin trafficking, bank robberies, mass casualty shootings, etc.
Credibility of LE and elected officials at all levels of government is questionable.
Seattle protests on I-5 go on for 19 nights. Washington State Patrol allows Interstate highway public safety protocols to be suspended until a fatality after dark one night.
I do not favor the ugly side of politics. When I was younger, both major parties took turns in the White House. It was routine. It did not involve the TV making claims that this is the most important election in our lifetimes, etc.
I think the ugly side of politics is a reaction that comes from trying to force a one size fits all society.
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20. Can elected officials of any party or any member of the press help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
1967
Did the Joint Chiefs of Staff send The Troops to safeguard American freedoms?
Was it the Viet Cong that set up laws in 16 US states to prohibit interracial marriage?
