I signed up for the USMC in 1978 after growing up in the Cold War era. I went to boot camp right after high school. The commandant of the Marine Corps was a WWII veteran who wore the Medal of Honor.
Vietnam veterans ran the Marine Corps at the time. I had good years working for them.
I disavow what has gone on with the US Armed Forces in this century.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
From 2004
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
Some version of REAL ID has been required at border crossings and ports of entry since 2009.
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at border crossings and ports of entry since 2009.
What got better?
Any questions from newspeople?
The Post 911 Era
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
At The Big Game
Tune in to any Super Bowl in the post 911 era to see the press promote a big US Dept. of Homeland Security show of force to keep the big game safe.
TV newspeople skip asking questions and play the role of federal public affairs staff instead:
Real newspeople may ask:
If special games require special security-what keeps regular games safe? Crowd size/capacity is similar at several stadiums.
Are fans less safe at regular games?
What prevents terror strikes at hundreds of events & locations unsupervised by federal authorities?
What stops terrorists from going 2 states over and driving a truck across the playground at a daycare center?
Seattle – USA 250
choeshow
Sept 7, 2026
CRIMINALS, MENTALLY ILL, AND HOMELESS DRUG ADDICTS HAVE CONQUERED SEATTLE
Welcome Home Troops
Thanks for doing time/risking your ass in Iraq, Afghanistan and other distant locations while working to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
“The cases were filed as King County continued to see hundreds of fatal overdoses. Public Health — Seattle & King County recorded 446 confirmed fatal overdoses from January through July 2026, the same period covered by the prosecution data.”
As always, zero questions on how the federal War on Drugs plays into this.
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
Has any community anywhere in the US downsized or shut down any local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team due to the success of Dept. of War strikes on suspected narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
With all this working as an advantage to the US federal government, is there any shortage of meth, fentanyl or any cartel drug between say, Everett and Tacoma?
Has any newsperson ever asked about this?
What part of the drug war is working? What part is failing?
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
USA 250
choeshow
Sept 7, 2026
CRIMINALS, MENTALLY ILL, AND HOMELESS DRUG ADDICTS HAVE CONQUERED SEATTLE
Welcome Home Troops
Thanks for doing time/risking your ass in Iraq, Afghanistan and other distant locations while working to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
Was this operation meant to benefit the American way of life?
Were Marines defending the constitution in Lebanon?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
These questions do not need to be asked on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Blue Angels day or Armed Forces Day. Sometime during the year, please ask these questions.
We are seeing aggressive marketing and branding related to protein in food products.
Do Americans suffer from a lack of protein? What symptoms would indicate a lack of protein in the diet? Did your recent blood labs reveal a deficiency?
Bumping into one article describing protein Doritos caused us to look for more info and we found many articles that probably would not be recommended by the people who are marketing protein.
Whatever the world wants to put in their shopping cart is OK with me. I have no recommendations or advice to share.
More Big Hype – AI
Good ideas seem to catch on without the big promotions. AI is heavily advertised. The word artificial may describe something people want less of in their lives.
I frequently run across AI images on the web. They are almost always unattractive.
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
“If they fight as well as they keep oaths, Iran should have no fucking problems”
Below-I would say suspected narcoterrorist drug boats.
“No command I ever served with would have issued or followed orders to destroy small boats off venezuela, for example. It was murder, plain and simple.”
With all this working as an advantage to the US federal government, is there any shortage of meth, fentanyl or any cartel drug between say, Everett and Tacoma?
Has any newsperson ever asked about this?
What part of the drug war is working? What part is failing?
Has any community anywhere in the US downsized or shut down any local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team due to the success of Dept. of War strikes on suspected narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Any questions from newspeople?
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
Seattle Gunfire – The Fantasy Newsperson Asks
Has any WA gun control measure or public policy effort of the past 20 years slowed down the gunfire between say, Everett and Tacoma?
What works? What fails?
The weak-minded culture expects very little from its newspeople.
Several years back, I started the Old Man Blog category. It involves thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
Instead of waiting for school teachers to teach about individual rights and limited government authority, waiting on the press to ask questions, or courts to handle cases, these guys go out and update us with a quick reality check.
With all this working as an advantage to the US federal government, is there any shortage of meth, fentanyl or any cartel drug between say, Everett and Tacoma?
Has any newsperson ever asked about this?
What part of the drug war is working? What part is failing?
Has any community anywhere in the US downsized or shut down any local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team due to the success of Dept. of War strikes on suspected narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Any questions from newspeople?
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
Open air drug use at 1:44:
Zero reporting on why the store is closing. Comment section reveals possible answers:
Above: Shallow water beachcombing at Fort Casey/Keystone Harbor
A capitalist system?
Each July 4th, Americans celebrate freedom and independence from a powerful, central government. On July 5th they go back to living under a powerful, central government for another twelve months.
We recently had a nice visit to Canada. We visited Victoria, B.C. and the greater Sooke area.
Our family has been enjoying visits to Canada since the early 1970s. For my parents, the visits go way back before that.
We found warm and friendly people on our visit.
In Victoria, people of all ages were out and about on foot. People are happy, well adjusted and enjoying life. Many people are walking in parks. Many are walking with dogs. Many are riding traditional pedal bikes. We saw young school students walking or riding bikes to and from school.
People who work in shops and restaurants are an example of the best of hospitality and friendly personalities. The service at restaurants and cafes is just right. It reminds me of a time gone by in the U.S.
Various big companies will remind us that they support veterans and The Troops. Always wonder if any of those companies advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars. Maybe these big companies are more about expanding their marketing footprint.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
One lesson: Newspeople need to ask questions no matter who is elected to office. The press should provide some measure of checks and balances. The press should work to keep people properly informed.
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
Several years back, I started the Old Man Blog category. It involves thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.