“Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Washington state shoppers will see a 4-cent increase in the price of plastic film carryout bags at restaurants and retailers, raising the minimum cost to 12 cents per bag from the current 8 cents.”
Several comments have been posted with the article above.
From an earlier blog:
Really like the jalapeño cheese bagels at Safeway.
Normally pluck out one or two and they go into a plain paper bag similar to what we carried for school lunches back in the 70s.
Yesterday, these plastic bags were stocked in place of the regular paper ones. I am confused now about what version of bags are meant to be used or avoided based on saving the planet. In the 70s we were taught not to be a litterbug. Recycling was a thing.
The plastic bagel bag was a dandy for cleaning out the cat litter box today. We promise not to throw it all out the window as we blast down the highway, or leave it at the beach next time we go out.
A local Mom and Pop’s restaurant is still using the banned and evil plastic bags that are best suited for their customers to carry home hot menu selections.
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
We are still waiting on any newsperson anywhere to ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Any questions from newspeople?
Zero Mention Of Any Shortage Of Cartel Product Anywhere In The US:
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
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.
A Fake War on Terror features TV newspeople out at the airport cheerfully reporting on the busiest travel days of the year.
In a real War on Terror, real newspeople would ask:
What keeps the terrorists of the GWOT from creating a disruption at the back end of the airport security screening line?
“…the U.S. military had conducted its 20th lethal strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat Monday. The strike killed four “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean Sea, a Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill on Thursday.”
“The troops carrying out these killings are obviously loyally and blindly obeying orders to commit an illegal act. That’s because, as I have long pointed out, their loyalty is to their commander-in-chief, notwithstanding the oath they take to support and defend the Constitution.”
Back In Seattle
US Navy/War Dept., US Dept. of Homeland Security and DEA fail to keep 100,000 fentanyl pills and 34 kilos of fentanyl powder from arriving in town:
We are still waiting on any newsperson anywhere to ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
White House says recent questions related to the Epstein files are part of a manufactured hoax, fake news, an attempt to score political points, a distraction campaign coming from the democrat/liberal media, etc.
A White House meeting with Representative Boebert to ask her to vote to keep the Epstein files suppressed/sealed/ covered up, etc. shows transparency.
At 10:35 below, Cenk Uygur explains why we are now in a 1984 Orwellian state:
The Hill takes a look at the issue:
Swagger Is Gone – Tough Talk Before The Epstein Files Flip Flop
Below:
Pam Bondi and Kash Patel speak with confidence back before the flip flop on the Epstein files release.
All is well.
High levels of confidence in this businesslike event. Unfortunately, questions from the press were not picked up in the audio below.
April 9, 2025
The claim:
At 5:00 in the video above, the FBI director clams that various federal agencies will “…get all the drugs off the streets…”
We are still waiting on any newsperson anywhere to ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
We are still waiting on any newsperson anywhere to ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
“US forces struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people, defense secretary Pete Hegseth has said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s controversial campaign to at least 70.”
Real Newspeople May Ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025?
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
More questions:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
“A search of his residence yielded large quantities of drugs, drug paraphernalia indicative of sales, 10 firearms, and several hundred rounds of ammunition.”
Real newspeople may ask:
What is the unit of measure for large quantities of drugs?
What sort of drugs were involved here?
Why does it matter?
The Drug War is based on public policy.
What methods are working? What methods are failing?
Anytime there is a plane crash- a thorough investigation takes place. Lessons learned are used to prevent future accidents.
Was the aircraft fueled with opioids before it crashed? Was it running on meth?
Being better informed may help families to keep each other safe.
Press Release Style Of News Reporting
In recent years, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Love to see newspeople out asking questions.
What we get now is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is. A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
The press has failed.
Over the past 35 years or so, newspeople have failed in their role of investigating and asking questions related to public policy.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would ask questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
More Questions
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Any questions from newspeople?
Love To See Newspeople Ask:
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Did the big US Dept. of Homeland Security crackdown of 2025 create any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US. It’s had more than six months now to deliver results.
Homeland Security Is Ineffective In The Drug War
More than six months back, Kristi Noem deployed her ass kicking drug war road show.
March 20, 2025
Public Affairs efforts commence – the word goes out.
Cartels have been placed on notice.
Secretary of Homeland Security delivers no nonsense statements in the March 20, 2025 video posted below.
Tough Talk Before The Epstein Files Flip Flop
Below:
Pam Bondi and Kash Patel speak with confidence back before the flip flop on the Epstein files release.
All is well.
High levels of confidence in this businesslike event. Unfortunately, questions from the press were not picked up in the audio below.
April 9, 2025
The claim:
At 5:00 in the video above, the FBI director clams that various federal agencies will “…get all the drugs off the streets…”
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Any questions from newspeople?
Across The Nation
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you are out kicking ass.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry, REAL ID checks and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of the DEA, you may hope for limited success coming from the Trump/Noem team because what would you do with yourself if cartel drugs could no longer enter the US? Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis. Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
Any questions from newspeople?
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Various family generations speak with each other.
Will they encourage new enlistments?
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
A few reasons young adults may steer clear:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911.
We haven’t won a war since.
The Dept. of Defense has a truly poor track record with undeclared wars. This record goes back to 1949, the year DOD was established.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
“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.”
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
“For decades, presidents of both parties have waged a steady assault on the Constitution. Each crisis—Cold War, 9/11, pandemic—became an excuse to concentrate more power in the executive branch.”
“Oversight by Congress and the courts is reduced to a fig leaf.”
“It is the embodiment of James Madison’s nightmare: the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judicial, in the same hands.”
“A government that answers only to itself is not a constitutional republic—it is a rogue state. And NSPM-7, far from securing our freedoms, threatens to extinguish them.”
“That anyone would support a politician whose every move has become antithetical to freedom is mind-boggling, but that is the power of politics as a drug for the masses.”
Has any US community announced that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Did the big US Dept. of Homeland Security crackdown of 2025 create any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US. It’s had more than six months now to deliver results.
Homeland Security Is Ineffective In The Drug War
More than six months back, Kristi Noem deployed her ass kicking drug war road show.
March 20, 2025
Public Affairs efforts commence – the word goes out.
Cartels have been placed on notice.
Secretary of Homeland Security delivers no nonsense statements in the March 20, 2025 video posted below.
Tough Talk Before The Epstein Files Flip Flop
Below:
Pam Bondi and Kash Patel speak with confidence back before the flip flop on the Epstein files release.
All is well.
High levels of confidence in this businesslike event. Unfortunately, questions from the press were not picked up in the audio below.
April 9, 2025
The claim:
At 5:00 in the video above, the FBI director clams that various federal agencies will “…get all the drugs off the streets…”
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Any questions from newspeople?
Possibly of interest:
JFK speaks of presidential leadership, the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society.
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
“…they demanded a Bill of Rights, which actually should have been called a Bill of Prohibitions because it doesn’t grant rights at all. Instead, it expressly prohibited the federal government from infringing or destroying rights.”
“The Fifth Amendment prohibited the federal government from depriving any person of life without due process of law. Stretching all the way back to the Magna Carta in 1215, the term due process had come to mean, at a minimum, the dual requirement of formal notice and the right to be heard before being assassinated or executed.”
“Notice something important about the Fifth Amendment: Its protection applies to “persons,” not just American citizens. Our American ancestors ensured that the president would be precluded from killing anyone without due process of law — that is, without formal notice (e.g., an indictment) and the right to be heard (e.g., a hearing or trial).”
Who Will Be First?
What US community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
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.”
“Prosecutors in Kitsap County have filed charges against a man who is accused of using a fire extinguisher to bash out the windows of two ferries that were moored in Bremerton earlier this month.”
“A police report says he broke windows, damaged a shore cable power plug, then loosened the lines to the “Lady Swift” and “Rich Passage” ferries, sending them adrift in the water.”
Zero Questions From Newspeople
What security protocols are in place at the Bremerton port facility?
After 911, port security was upgraded across the US?
In recent years, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Love to see newspeople out asking questions.
What we get now is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is. A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
The press has failed.
Over the past 35 years or so, newspeople have failed in their role of investigating and asking questions related to public policy.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would ask questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
“The total amount of drugs seized was about 21 kilos, authorities said.”
Who Will Be First?
What US community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the Dept. of War Vietnam-style body count of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Old Drug War
Did General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduce access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
When is the last time DOD/DHS was able to create any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area?
Has there been enough time for newspeople to ask questions?
Newspeople remain silent.
April 1, 2020 C-SPAN
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
I am not a fan of group identities, brand names, labels and personalities. These are things I don’t feel connected with. To me, it’s more about what you believe in.
If I was asked what I enjoy in the way of postings related to current events, I would say:
Whatever seems to be most honest.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
In recent years, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Love to see newspeople out asking questions.
What we get now is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is. A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
The press has failed.
Over the past 35 years or so, newspeople have failed in their role of investigating and asking questions related to public policy.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would ask questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
“One fascinating aspect of these fierce naval battles is how Trump and the pentagon have decided to treat prisoners of war. Their policy is to release the prisoners back to drug-cartel army rather than hold them captive during the pendency of the war.”
“In any event, the big military victories that our brave troops are bringing our nation in the Caribbean should serve as a big picker-upper for them, especially given the U.S. defeat at the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan and, before that, the U.S. defeat at the hands of the Reds in Vietnam.”
Did the advantage of the US intelligence apparatus allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
“The Saddam Hussein WMD factories of 2002 have become the Nicolas Maduro cocaine and fentanyl factories of 2025 and once again the neocon war lies are amplified by the US mainstream media and transmitted to the American people.”
Are the efforts of any federal agency or department causing local drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice?
Is the Seattle fentanyl supply any different today than under Biden?
Any questions from newspeople?
Who Will Be First?
What US community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the big US Dept. of Homeland Security crackdown of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Any questions from newspeople?
“Last week, the Department of Defense announced to its dismay that in one of the seven attacks on speedboats in the Caribbean, it failed to kill all the passengers, and two survivors were “rescued” and arrested by the U.S. Navy.”
“Surely the administration did not expect this legal quagmire. An arrest can only be based on probable cause of crime. What probable cause did the Navy have to arrest the survivors after it had destroyed their boat and any evidence in the boat? Of course, the government won’t say.”
In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.
There were none.
Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get head of the line parking spots over at the grocery store. Maybe the concept of Armistice Day had not gone completely extinct.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s- veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.
People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.
These guys weren’t lining up for free dinner promotions marketed by major restaurant chains.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Both major political parties are good with it.
Veterans Day
One of the very most meaningful federal holidays for some. Stolen from Armistice Day in the 1950s. At that time, the US Dept. of Defense had started a decades long tradition of not being able to stay out of or win undeclared wars in distant lands.
How would American freedoms today be any different if US troops were never sent to Iraq?
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
US troops to Vietnam and:
“Nixon’s War on Drugs melded long ago with Bush’s War on Terror, and with this, the latest half century of American empire is cemented by this collective understanding of the US state, and its only purpose. A flexible, seamless bodysuit of war, designed by the Military Industrial complex and their equity and bankster partners, has been sewn up by a Congress of miseducated seamstresses, and delivered to the Executive Branch for a pittance and a pat on the head.”
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
The Troops Defend Rights And Freedoms
Armed Forces Recruiting – 1980s
Part of what made it work:
In past decades, people could do time in uniform, then return to the US with a feeling that they were living in the best country on the planet.
They believed it and their parents and grandparents believed it.
Standards have deteriorated. Today, the troops return to an ongoing breakdown of society:
US Armed Forces 2025 Recruiting Crisis Public Relations Release:
Ask a recruiter.
“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.”
“It said the AI alert was sent to human reviewers who found no threat – but the principal missed this and contacted the school’s safety team, who ultimately called the police.”
The Troops Are Defending Your Freedoms
Armed Forces Recruiting – 1980s
Part of what made it work:
In past decades, people could do time in uniform, then return to the US with a feeling that they were living in the best country on the planet.
They believed it and their parents and grandparents believed it.
Standards have deteriorated. Today, the troops return to an ongoing breakdown of society:
US Armed Forces 2025 Recruiting Crisis Public Relations Release:
“Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department said on Tuesday that it confiscated 24.5 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $200,000. Ten large, silver-wrapped packages were inside a duffel bag at the back of the car of Tionia Britany Miles, 36.”
Who Will Be First?
What US community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to the big US Dept. of Homeland Security crackdown of 2025:
What US community will be first to announce that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Welcome Home Troops. Thanks for doing time/risking your ass in Iraq and Afghanistan, working to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
Across The Nation
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you are out kicking ass.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry, REAL ID checks and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of the DEA, you may hope for limited success coming from the Trump/Noem team because what would you do with yourself if cartel drugs could no longer enter the US? Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
“The US is releasing the two survivors of Thursday’s military strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia, President Donald Trump said Saturday.”
“So these terrorists were dangerous enough to launch a missile and try to execute them but not dangerous enough to lock up in our own jails? Since when do we trust Colombia and Ecuador so much?”
Narcoterrorists on Thursday – Sent Back Home On Saturday?
The US has decades of GWOT experience. In past decades, were captured terrorists promptly released to their home countries?
Did the advantage of designating terrorist organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan allow those undeclared wars to be prevented, won or shut down?
Drug cartels were designated as terrorist organizations back on Feb 20, 2025.
Real newspeople may ask:
Is Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security completely irrelevant here?
Has the US Dept. of Homeland Security ever created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
If the CIA (est 1947) serves as an advantage to the US, why does the Department of Defense have such a poor record of winning undeclared wars going back to 1949, the year DOD was established?
If the CIA (est 1947) serves as an advantage to the US, why does the Department of Defense have such a poor record of winning undeclared wars going back to 1949, the year DOD was established?
Group identities, brand names, labels and personalities are things I don’t feel connected with. To me, it’s more about what you believe in.
It feels like a society where honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion, but the questioning and discussion rarely takes place.
“But it was the senior protesters who really got to me. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be of a generation whose parents endured or fought in World War II, to see where we’re headed right now, and to be all too aware that you may not be around before we know if we’re going to get out of this. I can’t imagine facing the end of life with the worry that your grandkids won’t inherit the birthright for which your parents fought and sacrificed.”
“But consider the benefits of such a war from the standpoint of Trump. First and foremost, a war against Venezuela will put to rest the Jeffrey Epstein rebellion within Trump’s MAGA movement. With the massive military buildup in the Caribbean and the killing of unarmed suspected drug-law violators at the hands of the military, the Epstein rebellion has already dissipated. It will fizzle out with the first bombs or missiles fired into Venezuelan territory.”
Puget Sound area first responders are finding any less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations.
Seattle area drug addicts are having any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
There is any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area.
Will Northwest HIDTA be shut down when cartel drugs stop entering the US? Have recent US Dept. of Homeland Security efforts reduced the need for Northwest HIDTA services?
Any questions from newspeople?
Across The Nation
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you are out kicking ass.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry, REAL ID checks and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of the DEA, you may hope for limited success coming from the Trump/Noem team because what would you do with yourself if cartel drugs could no longer enter the US? Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
Symbol of The Troops are fighting for our freedoms nonsense rolled out at federal holidays.
Credibility squandered, enthusiasm dried up.
Post-Vietnam guilt
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Both major political parties are good with it.
Real newspeople may ask:
If the CIA (est 1947) serves as an advantage to the US, why does the Department of Defense have such a poor record of winning undeclared wars going back to 1949, the year DOD was established?
“No matter who you vote for, you get John McCain.”
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell admits 70% of “homeless” in Seattle are “not from here.” Why?
Oct 14, 2025
Across The Nation
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you are out kicking ass.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry, REAL ID checks and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of the DEA, you may hope for limited success coming from the Trump/Noem team because what would you do with yourself if cartel drugs could no longer enter the US? Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
Will there ever come a time when newspeople ask if there is any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war, linked to the movement of National Guard troops to an overseas location?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials, top Pentagon Generals and the press earned it.
Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Both major political parties are good with it.
Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
There has been good news for recruiting recently after standards were modified to create a prep course category for training recruits.
Our take:
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis.
Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
Any questions from newspeople?
National Guard
National Guard recruiting would be tricky.
Recruiters are looking for people who will need to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Thousands of men and women who signed up for the National Guard in the past 25 years did tours in places like Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Why do the people of Home State, USA need services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in this area:
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
In the months ahead, President Trump uses ICE raids to shut down legal marijuana sales in various states.
Justification is as follows:
Federal policy does not allow for the legal sale or use of marijuana.
Cartels profit from marijuana. Cartels have been designated as terrorist organizations.
Marijuana became legal in various US locations in recent years. Since that time, drug addicts have been seen camping on the sidewalks of some US cities.
Each state will be held responsible for eliminating permits to operate marijuana stores. Federal aid and funding for various programs will be cut off for any state hesitating to comply.
Internet providers, alternative media sources and web-based businesses will be penalized for questioning or posting any voice of dissent Re: federal marijuana policy. The same would apply to mainstream TV and news media outlets, but they moved away from asking questions related to public policy some years back.
An example of the questions to be banned:
It took a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of a glass of wine- why no constitutional amendment to authorize a federal prohibition of marijuana?
The federal government prefers that legal drug dealers of their choosing supply Americans with their meds.
Chronic Side Effects
May cause thoughts of death or suicide which may be permanent and can be fatal.
Hey, good news-
Grandpa is feeling better now that he has quit smoking.
He is feeling well enough to participate in a TV ad for the meds he took.
When you go to stay with Grandpa this summer, just know that he may be experiencing:
“Hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions”
Crackdown Continues
Urinalysis drug testing for all who receive any form of federal pay or retirement checks. Ditto for people receiving any form of federal disability income, student loans, VA disability, GI Bill home loans, etc.
Emphasis on Patriotism and Loyalty
Daily pledge of allegiance at all pubic and private business and job sites will be required.
This was a good idea in the 3rd grade during the Cold War era. It is a good idea today.
Each state will be responsible for enforcing compliance at any private place of business.
Federal aid and funding for various programs will be cut off for states failing to comply.
Good news on recruiting, but the article leaves out any updates on what stays the same no matter who the commander-in-chief/POTUS is.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis. Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
Any questions from newspeople?
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Various family generations speak with each other.
Will they encourage new enlistments?
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
Never Forget-
The US Dept. of Defense was irrelevant in defending American rights and freedoms, our physical security, & The Constitution on 911.
Ditto for all other federal agencies and departments.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
Just Be Honest
Elected officials and high level DOD civilians speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
The press plays along by not asking questions.
The post 911 era has been a time to tell the American people that US troops are sent to distant lands to defend American freedoms. This urban legend has run its course. People have seen enough now to know this is no more than a marketing strategy. Uniparty newspeople play along by not asking questions:
The idea that the US Armed Forces are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms is repeated many times over.
The reality is that American freedoms may come and go and appear to be completely unrelated to military operations/US Troops in distant lands, or the Sound of Freedom over Coupeville.
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
Recruiters are looking for people who will need to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Thousands of men and women who signed up for the National Guard in the past 25 years did tours in places like Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Why do the people of Home State, USA need services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Will there ever come a time when newspeople ask if there is any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war, linked to the movement of National Guard troops to an overseas location?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials, top Pentagon Generals and the press earned it.
During the Vietnam War, US troops were sent to Vietnam.
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
Above: The Cove – Westport
