Trash talking, insulting allied nations, launching undeclared wars, bullying foreign nations, big business buddies and deals, insulting members of the press, restricting the press, making claims that destroy credibility, blowing up suspected drug boat crews and claiming the borders are sealed while cartel product still arrives in Seattle, using ICE agents to gun down people at traffic stops and on the street inside the US, destroying the idea of trade, travel & friendship with other nations, name calling, taking an oath to the Constitution, and behaving otherwise.
Voters have had enough.
Decades Gone By
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
After ‘no tolerance’ promise, drugs and stolen goods persist in Little Saigon
Nick Shirley Interviews
KIRO 7 News
Is local copper wire theft related to cash for purchasing cartel drugs?
Any questions from newspeople?
KING 5 News
‘Imminent threat to public safety’ sparked emergency order to get encampment cleared
The Hill
Investigators eye Somali gang violence in Minnesota homecoming shooting
Trouble on Okinawa
Young Americans growing up in the post 911 era may witness and experience the ongoing breakdown of society.
How does life back home relate to adult life/behavior in distant lands?
In The News
US Marine is arrested over the killing of a woman on Okinawa. More here.
“Our nation was founded with a limited-government republic, one with a relatively small military force. That’s because our American ancestors knew that an enormous standing army would be the greatest threat to their freedom and well-being. It’s time to dismantle the old Cold War-era national-security state and restore our founding governmental system of a limited-government republic.”
“There has been anger over increasing crime linked to the U.S. military on the island. The number of U.S. military-related criminal cases rose to 101 last year from about 40 in 2020, according to prefectural police.”
“After the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members, huge crowds protested the heavy U.S. troop presence on Okinawa. There was also anger over the rape of a teenage girl by a U.S. service member in 2024 and the delayed disclosure of the crime.”
“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.”
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
Several years back, I started the Old Man Blog category. It involves thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
I signed up for the USMC in 1978 after growing up in the Cold War era. I went to boot camp right after high school. The commandant of the Marine Corps was a WWII veteran who wore the Medal of Honor.
Vietnam veterans ran the Marine Corps at the time. I had good years working for them.
I disavow what has gone on with the US Armed Forces in this century.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
From 2004
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
With all this working as an advantage to the US federal government, is there any shortage of meth, fentanyl or any cartel drug between say, Everett and Tacoma?
Has any newsperson ever asked about this?
What part of the drug war is working? What part is failing?
Has any community anywhere in the US downsized or shut down any local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team due to the success of Dept. of War strikes on suspected narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Any questions from newspeople?
Does the US Dept. of Homeland Security prevent cartel product from entering Seattle? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
If OD numbers are lower, is this because DHS is able to keep cartel product from arriving in US communities, or because drug addicts are now fogged down with Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, etc. to combat overdoses?
Americans were told that they faced a life and death situation after 911. If certain actions were not taken, terrorists could come to America to disrupt our way of life and attempt another 911.
If all this was a life and death situation that required sending the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, wouldn’t it be important to ask a few public policy questions about what was going on?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
Seattle Gunfire – The Fantasy Newsperson Asks
Has any WA gun control measure or public policy effort of the past 20 years slowed down the gunfire between say, Everett and Tacoma?
What works? What fails?
The weak-minded culture expects very little from its newspeople.
Several years back, I started the Old Man Blog category. It involves thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
Above: Shallow water beachcombing at Fort Casey/Keystone Harbor
A capitalist system?
Each July 4th, Americans celebrate freedom and independence from a powerful, central government. On July 5th they go back to living under a powerful, central government for another twelve months.
We 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.
Respect for entertainers not headed out to do a Super Bowl halftime show sponsored by some fucking version of official light beer:
Wolfgang’s Classic Rock
ghostryder8567
2 Meter Sessions
Rounder Records
Allman Brothers Band
Gregg Allman
Count von Helldorf
PettyYou007
Rounder Records
PatongTed
Mario Leviste (Sanny / Slice)
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.
I was never in a war. My time in uniform wrapped up during the last century. The post 911 era slowly killed my spirit for patriotism and my enthusiasm for politics.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
I was never in a war. My time in uniform wrapped up during the last century. The post 911 era slowly killed my spirit for patriotism and my enthusiasm for politics.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Johnny Westside
More than 4000 comments have been posted with the video above.
From comments:
I once thanked a veteran for his service and he said “It’s all bullshit.”
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.
Those who did may have wished to hand down a better version of the modern American society to their kids and grandkids.
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.
“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.”
As the decades of undeclared/unwon wars stack up (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.) the greater the cultural urge to glorify people who do, or did time in uniform.
If there is an honest reason to send people away into decades of undeclared/unwon wars overseas let’s hear all about it.
Why do we pretend that the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
Do any giant corporations advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars?
Newspeople remain silent.
Interesting that the Traveling Vietnam Wall refers to itself as the “Cost of Freedom Tribute” and not something related to lessons learned.
Possibly of interest:
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.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
US Troops were sent into life and death situations in the aftermath of 911.
For this reason it is important to ask questions and develop a feel for what is real and what is honest.
It feels like a society where honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion, but the questioning and discussion rarely takes place.
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.
TV newspeople avoid asking:
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?
These questions do not need to be asked on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Blue Angels day or Armed Forces Day. Sometime during the year, please ask these questions.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms, the Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
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.
Any elected official or retired elected official who tells us The Troops were sent to protect American rights and freedoms needs to explain how those rights and freedoms are any different today because US troops were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Macho Swagger
Watch Secretary of War Pete Hegseth takes thrilling fighter jet ride with ‘Top-Gun’ pilots:
The US Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911.
We haven’t won a war since.
Made For TV
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.
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.
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.
Trump collects big cash to maintain the US Dept. of Homeland Security. 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?
ICE agents gun down people at traffic stops and on the street inside the US. This takes place away from border crossings and ports of entry.
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?
These questions do not need to be asked on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Blue Angels day or Armed Forces Day. Sometime during the year, please ask these questions.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms, the Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
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.
Any elected official or retired elected official who tells us The Troops were sent to protect American rights and freedoms needs to explain how those rights and freedoms are any different today because US troops were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Fantasy Newsperson Asks
Top TV military analysts, currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
The US Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911.
We haven’t won a war since.
Made For TV
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.
Was this operation meant to benefit the American way of life?
Were Marines defending the constitution in Lebanon?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
These questions do not need to be asked on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Blue Angels day or Armed Forces Day. Sometime during the year, please ask these questions.
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by 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?
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
“It promises protection while steadily expanding surveillance, policing, executive discretion and bureaucratic control. It wraps itself in flags. It quotes Scripture. It invokes patriotism. It salutes the troops.”
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.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
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.
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:
TV Newspeople Function Like Paid Actors Reading A Script
Even away from USA 250, newspeople avoid asking questions related to decades of undeclared/unwon wars.
State-run media:
The Fantasy Newsperson Asks
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?
What did the founders think of a powerful, centralized federal government and militarized pageantry for public events?
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by 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?
Macho Swagger
Watch Secretary of War Pete Hegseth takes thrilling fighter jet ride with ‘Top-Gun’ pilots:
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:
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:
Seattle was a world-class city in the last century. The WWII Generation had a modern society up and running in the 80s and 90s.
Even if we celebrate the best of American culture during the last century, that time is gone now.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
“Nothing in the Constitution gives the federal government authority over
ordinary crimes. In America, crime fighting is the responsibility of state
and local government. But despite the lack of constitutional authorization, federal policymakers continually try to involve themselves in crime fighting.”
The people who founded the country took it past peaceful protest. They did not showcase military troops in camo at public events. They did not confiscate tax money to attack and bully foreign countries.
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
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.”
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.
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?
What did the founders think of a powerful, centralized federal government and militarized pageantry for public events?
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
The Department of Defense was established in 1949. What part of DOD history involved US troops sent to locations where the constitution was threatened?
Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
Giant federal program celebrates independence from a powerful, central government:
“…hundreds of planes will participate in a “Fourth of July Airshow,” the president said.”
“Those planning to view the fireworks show from the Washington Monument grounds should expect “TSA-style” security, with magnetometers screening guests, according to Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington field office.”
DHS- the folks who can’t keep fentanyl trafficking cartels from moving product into various US communities are keeping the big event safe. Way To Go Team.
Cartels continue to move product into all 50 states.
Has any community anywhere in the US downsized or shut down any local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team due to the success of Dept. of War strikes on suspected narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Here at Oak Bay Starfish, our commentary rolls on, no matter who has been elected to office.
A giant agency created to prevent Soviet attacks, with almost unlimited resources to defend N. America in 2021, is unable to keep crank call from going out live during big public relations event.
We visited a small town recently. Over city sidewalks were individual banners posted to honor several new high school graduates with name and photo.
A few generations back, people would drop out of high school and lie about their age to go into WWII or maybe they would work on a boat in some part of the maritime or fishing industry. They would go on to have productive lives. Today, just making it to high school graduation is worthy of individual public praise away from graduation ceremonies.
Today, showing up for the US Armed Forces can be “Protecting Our Freedom” and rates public recognition.
You can be recognized as a hero by enlisting. Never mind that the US Armed Forces recognize individuals with personal awards not a bulk form of group identity.
You don’t have to look too far to find comments that refer to the troops as “heroes.”
Some are.
No one who has done time in an average military unit would be comfortable with everyone present being called a hero. Some units would be the exception, but for most people who have done time over the years, calling everyone a hero would have no connection to reality.
Reality, and an honest understanding of why we send The Troops to far away places isn’t what we’re about though.
Reaching for an honest understanding of US foreign policy makes more sense than “Thanks for your service.”
Superstar performers, average workers and slackers. All paid the same. The government says so.
As a new hire, before you demonstrate that you are a reliable, trainable worker, you are already making more than $20.00 per hour. Experience doesn’t matter.
John Stossel
We recently went for a routine checkup at a local clinic. It was our first time there. Several text messages arrived to remind of the appointment. They continued to arrive even after I confirmed. A phone call also arrived to advise of the appointment. I finally entered STOP to be dropped from reminders.
We had first time patient agreement forms to fill out. The lady at the counter was very careful to point out the legal paragraphs required to explain the no show fee.
It is irritating to be reminded as if you have caused or are about to cause a problem for the people who run the office.
Not one, but several signs posted in the office waiting area advised that copay fees must be paid on the date of arrival.
We get the idea that basic adult responsibilities like showing up on time or canceling on time have been a problem in the past.
Tax money- which some people intend to be used to help others via public assistance programs– also goes for bombing Somalia.
Helping others by donating to churches or private charities, food banks, etc. can help to avoid these conflicts.
Donors are free to opt out if a charity misbehaves.
Forced Charity
The government doesn’t specialize in anything other than feeding itself.
People could keep more of their own money to donate to causes of their choosing if the federal government was not taking it to pay for wasteful programs.
“So, what is a genuine capitalist system? It’s one that comes fairly close to what our American ancestors achieved in the first century of our nation’s existence. No income tax or IRS. No Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, subsidies, grants, or foreign aid. No national-security state—i.e., no Pentagon, military-industrial complex, military empire, CIA, NSA, or FBI. No foreign wars. No sanctions, embargoes, or blockades. No economic regulations, including minimum wage. No immigration restrictions — i.e., open borders.”
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 generator.
If a family’s household income level qualifies for free & reduced breakfast and lunch at school, wouldn’t they also qualify for various other publicly funded food assistance programs?
Do free and reduced breakfast and lunch meals consumed at school reduce what a family receives or qualifies for each month in publicly funded food assistance?
If school shuts down, does the family still qualify for publicly funded food assistance? If food assistance programs remain in place outside of school-why would children be at risk of going hungry?
If the programs aren’t working-let’s hear all about it.
“…our foreign policy is run by the “uniparty.” When it comes to wars, there is no Republican Party nor is there a Democratic Party. There is only the “yes!” party.”
“For years, community leaders and business owners have lamented the area as a hotspot for open-air drug activity, public disorder, shootings, and other criminal behavior.”
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.
Above: Approved Flag Images
