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.
We need to take a break when real questions are asked:
Ward Carroll
Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry
911Truth.org
Think for Yourself.
Explore the Facts.
“25 Years Later: Preserving the Record, Clarifying the Questions
For more than two decades, 911Truth.org has preserved reporting, public records, research, family advocacy, investigative work, and the history of a citizen movement seeking truth and accountability.”
“As the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11 approaches, we are undertaking the most extensive restoration and reorganization of this archive in its history—preserving original material, reconnecting it to its sources, and building clearer pathways through the record for a new generation of visitors.”
25TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
Newspeople Play Along By Not Asking Questions
Was Sept. 11th, 2001 the beginning of the era of newspeople not asking questions?
Even if the federal government did everything right before and on the day of Sept. 11th, 2001, newspeople have avoided questions since: Iraq/Afghanistan/Homeland Security, inbound cartel drugs, etc.
1976 US Bicentennial – The “Thanks for Your Service” phrase was not yet in style. The decades of undeclared/unwon wars that came after the lessons of Vietnam would bring the phrase into commonplace use.
Symbol of a US press that has failed to keep people informed on public policy issues over the past 35 years or so.
Symbol of US School teachers failing in their role to teach about basic individual rights and limited government authority.
Symbol of elected officials and high level DOD civilians who speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization by participating in decades of undeclared/unwon wars in distant lands.
The weak-minded culture expects very little from its newspeople.
Three on air personalities work the report below.
Live camera crew sent from Seattle to the middle of nowhere to stand in the dark and wait for flakes to fall update:
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.
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has blocked a request from US President Donald Trump to allow US forces to use UK air bases during any preemptive attack on Iran…”
Above: A meetup with newspeople who ask questions.
Sponsored by a local Invisible Veteran chapter.
KING 5
The Trump Era
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during this nearly 3 year-long investigation.
Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Zero Questions From KING 5 Seattle
How much fentanyl moved through local communities during this nearly 3 year investigation?
How many victims were harmed by the drugs and guns tied up in this nearly 3 year long holding pattern?
Love to see newspeople ask:
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the drug traffickers get fast track screening at the border so as not to disrupt this ongoing investigation?
If the drug traffickers were given a pass at the border- would that have tipped them off as to the investigation- or would that have been seen as standard protocol?
Imagine LE authorities observe a shoplifter or bank robber in action. Instead of going in to make an arrest they back off and conduct an investigation that goes on for nearly 3 years. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
Just Ask The DEA About Sealed Borders
Made for TV DEA spokesperson lets us know what to think.
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:
Welcome Home Troops
Common flashlight batteries are now locked up like diamond jewelry:
Kristi Noem is sealing off the border. Any day now, cartel drugs will no longer be available anywhere in WA.
People will no longer need cash to support a drug habit. There will be no more need to steal, and we can all go back to how things were in the last century.
Back to a time before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established in 2002. 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?
We’re not impressed.
Credibility squandered, enthusiasm dried up.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and DAVID B. CARUSO
The Associated Press
Dec. 20, 2025
“At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.”
Face the Nation
Brian Tyler Cohen News
The Jimmy Dore Show
Valhalla VFT
Just Be Honest
This could be a slogan for government to live by, no matter what political party or personality is in power.
The US federal government has been involved in decades of various events where records were sealed or redacted and files were kept secret.
Federal credibility is squandered over a period of decades. Now, people are scolded for wanting to be honestly informed on government activities. Well done. Something to get proud about.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Old Man Blog category:
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
Some might ask why these military operations were made public to begin with.
Operation Macho Swagger coming from a Dept. of War that wanted press organizations to sign agreements to work inside the Pentagon to keep the news under control.
The ops were initially made public maybe to take credit for results that had not yet been delivered. To make claims in advance that cartel product would be cut off from arriving in the 50 states.
Real Newspeople?
Real newspeople might ask:
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 narcoterrorist drug boats?
Any questions from newspeople?
When this trend kicks off, we’ll know that 2025 Vietnam-style drug boat body count ops matter in keeping cartel product from reaching drug addicts here at home.
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?
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…”
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:
Welcome Home Troops
Common flashlight batteries are now locked up like diamond jewelry:
Kristi Noem is sealing off the border. Any day now, cartel drugs will no longer be available anywhere in WA.
People will no longer need cash to support a drug habit. There will be no more need to steal, and we can all go back to how things were in the last century.
Back to a time before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established in 2002. 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?
We’re not impressed.
Credibility squandered, enthusiasm dried up.
Macho Swagger
Watch Secretary of War Pete Hegseth takes thrilling fighter jet ride with ‘Top-Gun’ pilots:
Since 1986 Top Gun:
The US Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911.
We haven’t won a war since.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Is it understandable that young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this?
Some Americans may be asking:
Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
Federal credibility is squandered over a period of decades. Now, people are scolded for wanting to be honestly informed on government activities. Well done. Something to get proud about.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
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:
Common flashlight batteries are now locked up like diamond jewelry:
Kristi Noem is sealing off the border. Any day now, cartel drugs will no longer be available anywhere in WA.
People will no longer need cash to support a drug habit. There will be no more need to steal, and we can all go back to how things were in the last century.
Back to a time before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established in 2002. 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?
To me, the most interesting people in politics are the people who are willing to question their chosen political party.
She didn’t mention decades of undeclared/unwon wars in distant lands.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
This appears to be the case no matter what political party or personality is elected to office.
Here at Oak Bay Starfish, we are OK with questioning both major parties.
Both major parties are good with telling us The Troops are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms.
As time goes on, the consumer choices we have are becoming more restricted by a combination of government and big business policies, not Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden or the next bad guy DOD will be going after in distant lands.
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a speech focused on rebuilding the “Arsenal of Freedom” at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California on Saturday.”
Newspeople Avoid Asking
Newspeople avoid asking if the 2025 Vietnam-style drug boat body count and Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security have created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US.
American freedoms come and go. None of the above are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.
School children are taught about a free enterprise system. They grow up to find out that the federal government will tell them what kind of shower head they must install in the bathroom, and what type of gas can they must buy for their lawn mower.
Both major parties are OK with federal prohibition of alcohol and tobacco for adults age 18-20.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
Did General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger ever 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.
New Drug War
We want to know if the 2025 Vietnam-style drug boat body count and Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security have caused Seattle area drug addicts to have any problem finding their cartel product of choice.
Seattle, Bremerton, Everett, Tacoma, Port Angeles
Which community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding cartel product due to Dept. of War strikes on drug boats?
Which 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?
The significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence at Port Angeles has been in place now for more than a decade.
Years later, cartels are designated as terrorist organizations and drugs still arrive in town:
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.
Welcome Home Troops
Common flashlight batteries are now locked up like diamond jewelry:
Kristi Noem is sealing off the border. Any day now, cartel drugs will no longer be available anywhere in WA.
People will no longer need cash to support a drug habit. There will be no more need to steal, and we can all go back to how things were in the last century.
Back to a time before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established in 2002. 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?
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?
Will the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) remain in place?
Newspeople avoid asking if the 2025 Vietnam-style drug boat body count and Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security have created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the Puget Sound area.
Seattle, Bremerton, Everett, Tacoma, Port Angeles
Which community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to Dept. of War strikes on drug boats?
Which 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?
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…”
“On September 2, U.S. military personnel fired a missile striking a vessel in the Caribbean that carried 11 people accused of trafficking drugs into the United States.”
“When two survivors emerged from the wreckage, a Special Operations commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions to “kill everybody,” according to The Washington Post, citing officials with direct knowledge of the operation.”
“The two men were then “blown apart in the water,” according to the report.”
“There have been more than 20 airstrikes against vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people.”
LiveNOW from FOX
At 2:46 below:
“A new report in the Washington Post says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth order to “kill them all” after a strike on an alleged drug boat left two survivors in the sea near the wreckage of their boat.”
The USA has a big 250 year birthday coming up in 2026.
I remember being in school for the bicentennial in 1976.
It will be strange to watch the celebrations next year because we are experiencing an ongoing breakdown of society that has been going on for years now, no matter what political party or personality is in office. Today, both major parties serve up a version of politics that is more extreme than what we saw in 1976.
I would expect a modern society to gently improve over time. This is not the case here.
A 20 year old today has a much steeper hill to climb than I did when I was 20 in 1980.
Leaving a better world to the next two generations would have been my choice.
US Semiquincentennial – Expect More Lies About Freedom
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?
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.
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?
Anytime there is a plane crash, a loss at sea, or an industrial accident, a thorough investigation takes place. Lessons learned are used to prevent future accidents.
No regard for who holds political power. No buddy system. No trading favors. No scolding or shaming of those who seek to expose the truth. A sense of urgency is in place in order to reveal the truth.
Sports Culture
Sports culture takes it a step further with instant replays, commentary in the broadcast booth, analysis from network studios, sports talk radio, etc. Fans don’t finish watching the game and feel left in the dark on what took place.
Coaches and quarterbacks face the press after every game and answer questions, win or lose. They are replaced if they are not up to the task.
No press secretary. No public relations spokesperson. No freedom of information act requests. No classified documents. Player stats and injury reports are always available.
No such thing as: “We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.” Instant replay is for all to see. Sports writers are OK with being critical of coaches, teams, players, the rule book, the league, referees, team owners, when the season starts and ends, etc. This is what a free and independent press looks like.
Sometimes, you may listen to talk radio at a random time and find that within a few seconds an opposing political party or personality will be blamed. Hosts are paid to deliver several hours of shtick each week. No matter what is going on, they must stay on script and stick with the blame games. Points will not be made without reminding the audience that the other guys screwed things up. It gets old.
At 1:40 in the video below, Sean Hannity wants to talk about the decline of Biden instead of current events:
Love to listen to more shows where experts from various sides of any issue are brought on to make their points.
It feels like a society where honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion, but the questioning and discussion rarely takes place.
The focus on team loyalty, group identities, brand names, labels and personalities gets in the way of honest discussions.
“Releasing the Epstein files is the easiest thing in the world,” she said to the news outlet Politico. “Just release it all, let the American people sort through every bit of it, and, you know, support the victims. That’s just like the most common sense, easiest thing in the world. But to spend any effort trying to stop it makes — it just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Valhalla VFT
WatchlistTYT
The US federal government has been involved in decades of various events where records were sealed or redacted and files were kept secret.
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?
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.
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:
Take an oath to the constitution, then head out to locations that have nothing to do with supporting and defending the constitution. Continue the process for decades on end.
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
Many veterans refer to their oath of enlistment Re: defending the constitution.
When & how do The Troops act on behalf of the executive branch of government to defend the constitution?
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in this area:
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.”
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.
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?
Uncle Sam is having a hell of a time finding people to sign up for the US Armed Forces. Pretending that decades of undeclared/unwon wars are linked in any way with American freedoms is the kind of dishonesty that will snuff out the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
Federal credibility is squandered over a period of decades. Now, people are scolded for wanting to be honestly informed on government activities. Well done. Something to get proud about.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Somewhere in the US, a small town 911 observance is scheduled and it uses the word freedom to describe some part of the event.
