The Times describes an early melt of winter snowpack, hyped reservoirs that are less than 30% of capacity, talking about a “dwindling” water supply, and OF COURSE, blamed ‘”climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels, is making these types of hot and dry summers more frequent and making droughts more severe.”
Love to see the mainstream press get out and interview people on various sides of any issue.
Nice example here –
0:41 in the video below:
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
“The ferry Walla Walla, which had been sailing between Seattle and Bremerton, will be out of service for at least four weeks as crews repair a propeller that broke near Rich Passage last week.”
The companies with fleets of merchant ships serving the ports of Seattle and Tacoma are moving cargo all over the world every day. Are they converting to hybrid-electric?
How about the companies that move cargo on an ongoing basis from Seattle to Alaska. Are they converting to hybrid-electric? How about the trucking companies that move shipments of cargo from the port of Tacoma to Denver. Are they converting to hybrid-electric?
Love to see the press interview the owners of these companies to learn more.
The mainstream press provides news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
The press release style of news reporting means that 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.
Love to see the mainstream press get out and interview people on various sides of any issue.
Nice example here –
0:41 in the video below:
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
Here at Oak Bay Starfish, we have been posting Re: WA State Ferries for years. A favorite story was the auto tollbooth upgrade at Mukilteo. Here is what we found on the web:
Will it take 18 months to find out what really happened? People will say that national security is a factor in releasing information. This is an important point.
The Uvalde, Texas shooting took place well over a year ago and it appears that information may still be developing. The Uvalde story is not connected to national security concerns. Calls for more gun control will develop. Here in the Seattle area, newspeople refuse to report on results of past gun control measures.
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
No sense in subscribing to newspapers that do not ask public policy-related questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
Sports Culture Tends To Be More Honest
Think of an NFL game. Coaches and quarterbacks face the press after every game and answer questions, win or lose.
No press secretary. No public relations spokesperson. No freedom of information act requests. No classified documents.
Instant replays, commentary in the broadcast booth, analysis from network studios, sports talk radio, etc. Fans get tons of info all of the time. No chance for conspiracy theories to develop. Missed calls by NFL officials may be discussed for weeks on end. 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.
US Armed Forces – Less Honest
In sports, coaches get fired for poor play. Not so much in the US Armed Forces.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
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.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces. The Cold War ended in the early 90s. The Pentagon was happy with the All Volunteer Force.
Look what they did with it.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
Where were you? along with a photo of a peaceful/standing twin towers.
My response:
With my GF in Kingston. Had already done some time in uniform. Took me several years to become skeptical and see that the federal government and the press had lost credibility.
Today:
My feeling is that a man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment. That was maybe the best of America in my lifetime.
“What I remember most about 9/11 is the way America was unified the day after. During uncontrollable times we controlled our response. Race, Gender and Political Party were equally irrelevant.”
“We focused on loving each other, how did we get so segregated? We never would have made it this far if we embraced division on September the 12th. We are where we are because we got here TOGETHER let’s embrace love yet again.”
“God Bless The USA.”
My response:
Good Stuff
Let’s keep that and add a free and independent press that will ask questions/rock the boat, no matter who is in office.
The mainstream press provides news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
Alternative media is good about providing an active comment section.
Several comments have been posted with the blog above:
“i can confirm via my kids that most of their peers are gripped by the same anxiety. They are pushing this in schools to the point where kids are terrified and convinced their futures are gone.”
Away From The Opinion Page
The mainstream press provides news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
The press release style of news reporting means that 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.
Love to see the mainstream press get out and interview people on various sides of any issue.
Nice example here –
0:41 in the video below:
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
Sept 11th, 2001 Fire Investigation Protocols
Below is a video showing Erik Lawyer, a professional firefighter. Has any mainstream newsperson interviewed this man? If not, why not?
Erik Lawyer – Professional Firefighter
President Biden
The President walks out of a Medal of Honor ceremony:
Will any newsperson interview the President on this?
No press secretary. No public relations spokesperson. No freedom of information act requests. We are talking about a news interview with President Biden. He is running a reelection campaign. It is perfectly appropriate for him to show up and answer questions. Think of an NFL game. Coaches and quarterbacks face the press after every game and answer questions, win or lose.
Would President Biden be up for answering unscripted questions on TV in front of a live audience? Would President Biden be OK with a news media person who is critical of the federal government asking the questions?
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
No sense in subscribing to newspapers that do not ask public policy-related questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
One of the biggest lessons of the 22 years since Sept 11, 2001:
We got our ass kicked on 911.The federal government has been squandering credibility ever since. If the US Armed Forces were keeping us safe– first responders would have had a routine day at work on 911. The giant government and “Dept of Defense” were nowhere to be found on 911. For federal government convenience, take the day, follow along, pledge your allegiance and behave as that government sees fit. Do as you are told. Fly your flag as you are told. Think and behave as that government tells you. Divert your attention away from federal government failure and stay busy with federal suggestions for the day.
Here at Oak Bay Starfish, we will observe the day by avoiding network TV. At the bottom of this page, we will offer up some readings featuring voices of dissent and alternative media.
Aftermath
Let’s say the federal government did everything right before and on the day of Sept. 11th, 2001. The uniparty press avoids questions on how things have come together since.
Big Homeland Security spending
The US Dept of Homeland Security was established on November 25, 2002. Plenty of time for lessons learned, and more cartel drugs entering Hometown, USA than ever before?
Lessons Learned?
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. A major aircraft manufacturer grounds certain airplanes after mishaps. Time is required to investigate and find out what went wrong.
Any similar effort after a big cartel drug bust inside the US?
The folks who show up and investigate the plane crash don’t spend time congratulating each other. Their work is designed to try and prevent similar future incidents, not promote themselves.
Preventing drugs from entering local communities would kill the chance for various agencies to get publicity for the occasional big drug bust happening in those communities.
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during the 12 months Operation P-22 (to take down just one branch of the cartel activity) took place. Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the cartel 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 that 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 months. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
This time next year- will there be any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area? Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
Snohomish 2015
Local law enforcement agencies may benefit when the US Dept. of Homeland Security fails to keep heroin out of the US:
Newspeople are good about posting a drug bust press release. Newspeople remain silent when it comes to asking questions about Homeland Security funding and performance.
Big DOD spending on undeclared/unwon wars for our freedoms.
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.
Did hostile forces in distant lands attempt to replace US consumer demand with government demand and end the free enterprise system?
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?
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.
Maybe a few more decades of undeclared/unwon wars and the freedoms will get better.
Why do we speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Both major parties are OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Both major parties are good with a land of the free holding pattern where alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18? Are The Joint Chiefs of Staff working to change any of this?
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Has it become harder to find blogs, videos and alternative media that ask questions or point to the failures of 911 and its aftermath? How about COVID? How about a giant US Dept. of Homeland Security?
“Nearly 1,800 victims’ relatives, first responders and survivors are calling on Biden to refrain from attending any memorials over his refusal to release Sept. 11 documents.”
“The administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump also declined to declassify supporting documents, citing national security concerns.”
22 Years Later
Part of the reaction was to send The Troops into undeclared wars.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
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.
Fake GWOT?
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If REAL ID is critical to the safety of America, have travelers out at the airport been less safe since 911?
The new REAL ID requirement for domestic air travel has now been extended out more than 20 years past 911 – May 7, 2025
If sending US troops to Afghanistan and creating a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was meant to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things, why are drug cartels able to move product into all 50 states?
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?
Show up early to wait in line and squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube at the airport?
What keeps the terrorists of the GWOT from creating a disruption at the back end of the screening line?
Has anyone ever seen any member of the press ask questions on this?
“What goes on at airports is not security. It is Security Theater. When the government’s own agents try to smuggle “weapons” aboard airliners to test the system, they succeed ninety-five percent of the time.”
“Further, a terrorist doesn’t need to get aboard an airliner to blow up spectacularly. At many airports, hundreds of people line up at ticket counters during peak hours. A carry-on bag of explosive would easily create enough slaughter to shut down air travel and to make international headlines for weeks.”
Will sending the National Guard, active, reserve and IRR forces to support NATO/Ukraine stimulate new enlistments over at the recruiting office?
National Guard
The people of Minnesota need more applicants 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.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials, top Pentagon Generals and the press earned 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.
These families have stories to tell and they’re not all positive. Will their stories support a draft?
When you visit Penn Cove, be sure to ask about the Award Winning Sewage Treatment Plant and why the beach adjacent to the Award Winning Sewage Treatment Plant is unsafe for recreational shellfish harvest.
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
No sense in subscribing to newspapers that do not ask public policy-related questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
The mainstream press provides news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
We are at a place where alternative media and comedians are asking the questions and highlighting the issues.
Small town newspaper (image at top of page) displays junk mail style advertising instead of front page news. The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Homeland Security funding and performance?
Unlike many cities of its size, Port Angeles maintains a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence.
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
New Port Angeles USBP Station opened more than a decade ago. Has the new station been able to prevent cartel drugs from entering the Olympic Peninsula?
Newspeople remain silent.
If you run a government operation-these are the reporters you want to see on interview day:
“Sen. Maria Cantwell heard about the myriad difficulties local officials face in trying to combat the opioid crisis including lack of funding, insufficient personnel, lack of supplies and complicated regulations around providing care to those suffering from opioid-use disorder.”
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces. The Cold War ended in the early 90s. The Pentagon was happy with the All Volunteer Force.
Look what they did with it.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
National Guard
The people of Minnesota need more applicants 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.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned 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.
These families have stories to tell and they’re not all positive. Will their stories support a draft?
After all this, it looks like the Bad Ass terrorists of the GWOT would have no problem coming over here.
Giant US Dept. of Homeland Security
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. (Anybody fired over this?) The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking these sorts of public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
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.
The uniparty and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
Would the DEA be out of work if a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was able to keep cartel product from showing up in all 50 states?
You people earned your recruiting crisis.
Weak Minded Culture?
We are very proud of our family member who was in WWII. Ditto for all other veterans. We do not question DOD. Whatever goes on-our major political party is good with it and that’s good with us.
Looks like the Big Uniparty Debate Night revealed some support for the US/Ukraine effort. Looks like Trump wants to shut down war over there.
Over the past year or so, the US Armed Forces recruiting crisis has been in the news and the occasional comment advising a return to the draft will appear.
Here at Oak Bay Starfish, we believe that a return to the draft is total political fantasy. Below, we will go into some of the reasons why, but not much is new if you’re one of the many readers who have been closely following the blog at any time since the catastrophic military failure of 911. Still wondering if anyone was fired over that.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
It is understandable that young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
The press supports the uniparty, so newspeople go easy on asking any questions here.
The US Army brought back WWII uniforms a few years back. Was this an effort to boost recruiting? Looks like it didn’t work. The WWII uniform reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
Has there been enough time for newspeople to ask questions?
Newspeople remain silent.
April 1, 2020 C-SPAN
WWII costume again- a look from a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Talk of the draft is a response to recruiting struggles and more wars on the table.
Never Forget-
The US Armed Forces were irrelevant in defending American rights and freedoms, our physical security, & The Constitution on 911.
Ditto for all other federal agencies and departments.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like: The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
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.
This is what Americans will support with a draft?
Fake GWOT?
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during the 12 months Operation P-22 (to take down just one branch of the cartel activity) took place. Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the cartel 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 that 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 months. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
This time next year- will there be any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area? Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
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:
National Guard
The people of Minnesota need more applicants 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.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned 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.
These families have stories to tell and they’re not all positive. Will their stories support a draft?
Random Questions For The Uniparty:
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
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?
“A massive brawl broke out on a parade ground at Fort Gordon in Augusta one afternoon last fall, when about 70 teenage recruits of the Georgia National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy slugged it out. Some used homemade weapons, including metal shanks, crudely sharpened toothbrushes and tube socks filled with metal padlocks.”
Why do we speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Both major parties are OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Both major parties are good with a land of the free holding pattern where alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18? Are The Joint Chiefs of Staff working to change any of this? Not no, but, Fuck No.
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
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?
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.
Did hostile forces in distant lands attempt to replace US consumer demand with government demand and end the free enterprise system?
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger created any shortage of cartel product anywhere in the US?
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.
The uniparty and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
Would the DEA be out of work if a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was able to keep cartel product from showing up in all 50 states?
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. (Anybody fired over this?) The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Vice President Harris recently made a trip to Seattle to speak on the climate crisis topic. I was looking forward to a news event that created a record of differing viewpoints in various blogs, videos and articles on the web.
Taking a look now, it appears that most of what is available is the routine news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
The general trend on the web and in the news has been to suppress voices of dissent.
Love to see the press get out and interview people on various sides of any issue.
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
A video from comedian Jimmy Dore – a progressive democrat:
Google Is RIGGING Search Results For “Climate Change”
Honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time. This is not the case.
State-owned news network: In Seattle, VP Harris Touts Administration Efforts to Boost Clean Energy
Where are the news articles that question the carbon footprint created by this cross country campaign trip? Multiple aircraft, motorcade, support staff, advance security, layers of federal and local law enforcement supervision for the event, local traffic idling and waiting for permission to proceed on normal routes, etc. How does all this impact on climate change? Any questions from newspeople?
Seattle – About the time of the VP visit:
The folks who manage this, want to tell you what kind of car you should drive and manipulate the price of your gasoline with taxes. Welcome Home Troops.
Really no need to pick on the VP
Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs staff as authorities prepare for the Super Bowl:
Sorry, no time for newspeople to ask:
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?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
Did decades of undeclared/unwon wars (The Department of Defense track record with undeclared wars goes back to 1949.) play any role in the DNC climate crisis? Zero questions from newspeople.
“During the past weeks, profoundly flawed and error-filled stories on climate change have been headlined in the Seattle Times. Stories that can easily be demonstrated to have serious factual and interpretative errors.”
Below are several topics where newspeople have an established history of not asking questions.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Homeland Security funding and performance?
Would the DEA be out of work if a a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was able to keep cartel product from showing up in all 50 states?
Why do we speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Both major parties are OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Both major parties are good with a land of the free holding pattern where alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18? Are The Joint Chiefs of Staff working to change any of this? Not no, but fuck no.
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
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?
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.
Did hostile forces in distant lands attempt to replace US consumer demand with government demand and end the free enterprise system?
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?
Show up early to wait in line and squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube at the airport?
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Would the DEA be out of work if a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security was able to keep cartel product from showing up in all 50 states?
-Oak Bay Starfish
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. (Anybody fired over this?) The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
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.
The uniparty and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
Never Forget-
The US Armed Forces were irrelevant in defending American rights and freedoms, our physical security, & The Constitution on 911.
Ditto for all other federal agencies and departments.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like: The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since. This reflects on the uniparty. The press goes easy on asking questions because the press supports the uniparty.
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?
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.
What a Scam
Cartels react to General Milley by moving more product into the US:
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during the 12 months Operation P-22 (to take down just one branch of the cartel activity) took place. Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the cartel 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 that 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 months. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
This time next year- will there be any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area? Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
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.
The uniparty and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
Never Forget-
The US Armed Forces were irrelevant in defending American rights and freedoms, our physical security, & The Constitution on 911.
Ditto for all other federal agencies and departments.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like: The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since. This reflects on the uniparty. The press goes easy on asking questions because the press supports the uniparty.
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?
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.
Fake GWOT?
The US Dept. of Homeland Security was invented after the catastrophic military failure of 911. (Anybody fired over this?) The idea was to keep bad people from coming to the US to do bad things/attempt another 911, etc.
Wouldn’t the giant War on Terror be a cartel drug trafficker’s worst nightmare?
If Americans lived in a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking public policy related questions all of the time. This is not the case.
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during the 12 months Operation P-22 (to take down just one branch of the cartel activity) took place. Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the cartel 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 that 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 months. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
This time next year- will there be any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area? Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
The big drug bust is always reported as a real success.
Newspeople show up to ask zero questions about why cartels are somehow able to move product past US Troops at the border, strict post 911 security protocols, REAL ID verifications and a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security after cartel product arrives again in the Puget Sound area.
Lessons Learned?
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.
Any similar effort after a big drug bust?
The folks who show up and investigate the plane crash don’t spend time congratulating each other. Their work is designed to try and prevent similar future incidents, not promote themselves.
Preventing drugs from entering local communities would kill the chance for various agencies to get publicity for the occasional big drug bust happening in those communities.
Wonder what was happening at border crossing/port of entry inspections during the 12 months Operation P-22 (to take down just one branch of the cartel activity) took place. Do the good guys who made the local bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the cartel 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 that 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 months. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
This time next year- will there be any shortage of cartel product in the Puget Sound area? Has any city, county or state jurisdiction been able to cleanup their drug problem using these methods?
“Over a year’s worth of hard work and investigation concluded on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2022, when detectives in Precinct 4/Burien Police Special Emphasis Team made one final seizure in ‘Operation P-22,’ one of the region’s biggest drug busts.”
Newspeople are good about posting a drug bust press release. Newspeople remain silent when it comes to asking questions about Homeland Security funding and performance.
“We can take steps to prevent this from happening again, including understanding why this event occurred and building the observation, warning, and action infrastructure as California.”
“Western Maui is typically wet in the winter and quite dry (and warm) during summer (see plot for a station near and north of Lahaina). Grass grows during the winter and then dies/cures during the summer, leaving brown desiccated grass. This is not climate change…this is the normal situation.”
“During the past weeks, profoundly flawed and error-filled stories on climate change have been headlined in the Seattle Times. Stories that can easily be demonstrated to have serious factual and interpretative errors.”
“During the past weeks, profoundly flawed and error-filled stories on climate change have been headlined in the Seattle Times. Stories that can easily be demonstrated to have serious factual and interpretative errors.”
Google was a clean and simple search engine. AOL was there for those who were OK with the convenience of more central control. AOL steered you to use their internet connection, browser, email, their version of searching to find AOL sports, shopping, entertainment, finance, news, travel, etc. Every move you made on the web could happen under the AOL regime.
Today, Google wants you to create a user name and password. Register, sign in, and hand over your cell phone number for security in case you need to update your password. Google wants you to use your Google ID to sign in to an expanding number of sites on the web. If you are away from home and logging in on a different device, they might think you are a scammer/spammer and may take you into a tortuous process to verify who you are. What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up? I quit. No more logging in for me.
Prior to the midterm elections, I went to the web and searched for:
Will midterm voters be angry about the stock market? and similar searches.
Is the stock market an issue for voters?
All I was able to find was predictions for future market performance.
Love to see newspeople ask questions in the following areas:
Is Homeland Security Is A Scam?
Has any US President, since the first day the US Dept. of Homeland Security existed, been able to create any shortage of cartel product, anywhere in the US?
Does local CBP provide an advantage in keeping cartel product from arriving in the Puget Sound area?
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 and how to celebrate the 4th of July. 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.
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since. This reflects on the uniparty. The press goes easy on asking questions because the press supports the uniparty.
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?
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.
The Press
Will TV newspeople who show initiative and curiosity in asking questions be suppressed and removed from TV networks?
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
“A multi-agency police force walks up the ramp after conducting a high-risk, low-frequency training exercise on board the M/V Kennewick on Wednesday. High risk refers to the level of danger to people and property, i.e., a hostage situation, and low frequency refers to the chance of it actually happening, but the agencies want to be prepared by training.”
If the Oklahoma City bomber rolls onto the ferry-how does the SWAT team help out an hour later?
Has anyone ever seen any member of the press asking questions related to WSF security?
The Press
Much of what we get today 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.
“The Transportation Security Administration anticipates a record number of travelers will be screened through security checkpoints this Fourth of July holiday weekend.”
“However, TSA says people can prepare for a smooth travel experience by keeping some simple reminders top of mind.”
“What goes on at airports is not security. It is Security Theater. When the government’s own agents try to smuggle “weapons” aboard airliners to test the system, they succeed ninety-five percent of the time.”
“Further, a terrorist doesn’t need to get aboard an airliner to blow up spectacularly. At many airports, hundreds of people line up at ticket counters during peak hours. A carry-on bag of explosive would easily create enough slaughter to shut down air travel and to make international headlines for weeks.”
A symbol of newspeople playing along by not asking questions related to Homeland Security funding and performance – no matter who has been in the White House.
Love to see newspeople ask: Is there any shortage of lodging facilities in this community?
The Press
Much of what we get today 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.
“The Pentagon learned its lesson by the first Gulf War, and it severely restricted up-close media coverage. Only “trusted” journalists were able to report from the front lines. Most of the press corps wrote up stories based on US military press releases from luxury hotels in Baghdad.”
“A sound revision of U.S. national security strategy would begin with announcing a timeline for withdrawing from NATO, converting it into an arrangement wholly owned and operated by Europe.”
American popular and political culture insists on dividing people up into groups, then assigning a separate value to each group.
Are any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Kentucky need National Guard services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
These are the troops who 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.
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