How many elected officials have kids and grandkids age 17-42?
Isiah Factor: Uncensored
From comments:
“A 42 year old being ordered around by a 22 year old isn’t going to go well. I see nothing but headaches with this.”
“I served Marine Corps and husband retired Army.
Thankful our adult children decided not serve or serve in military or civil service.
We remember the Iraq wars and Afghanistan. 🫤”
Sentinel
What’s Going on With Shipping?
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.”
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.
“It was well documented last spring how furious Canadians were about President Donald Trump’s threats to annex their country as a “51st state.” They went “elbows up,” booing the U.S. national anthem, boycotting American booze and generally writing off the States for shopping trips or summer vacations.”
“Cars with Canadian plates coming southbound into northwest Washington dropped 39% in the first 365 days of Trump’s term, Jan. 20, 2025, through Jan. 19, 2026, as compared to the same time span a year earlier.”
“The trust has been broken,” Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward said…”
“Canadians look across the border and see “a population of easily distracted fools…”
No argument from Oak Bay Starfish.
Exhibit One:
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:
“…as of January 1, 2026, the annual pass will cost non-US residents $250 to obtain, more than triple the standard $80 which US residents will continue to pay.”
“Foreign tourists who don’t purchase the pass will pay a $100-per-person fee, in addition to the standard entrance fee, to enter 11 of the most visited national parks…”
“This announced price hike comes amid a decline in international tourism to the US, fueled by changes to tariff policies and crackdowns on immigration.”
The Interior Department’s statement also highlighted “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” for next year which includes Memorial Day, Fourth of July Independence Day weekend and June 14, “Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday.”
“resident-only patriotic fee-free days”
Good news folks-
We are rationing out free access to federal lands you paid for the same as the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.
People who visit from distant lands probably don’t want or need the annual pass. Ditto for some who live here too. The day pass will be good enough.
The article fails to mention that people who want the day pass will now be required to show papers to establish citizenship?
Some of us may want to travel about inside the USA as anonymous persons.
The Oak Bay Starfish Take
American popular & political culture insists on dividing people up into groups- then assigning a separate value to different groups.
Step over here and show us your papers before entering the park.
How many passengers are in the vehicle? All US citizens? Please pull over into the inspection lane for a brief interview and REAL ID check.
Trade, Travel and Friendship
Some might say trade, travel and friendship (as much as possible) are good for the economy. This approach may help to avoid misunderstandings and wars.
What we get instead:
Tariffs/tariff threats, threatening Greenland, talk of making Canada the 51st state, increased entry fees at national parks for foreign visitors, etc.
Welcoming Visitors – USA Style – 2026
Friends and family or an exchange student visiting from Canada, Japan or Europe?
You’d like to have a good visit when you travel to see them. Plan to roll out the welcome mat when they visit here next summer.
A trip to a national park might be a chance to leave the pressures of the world behind for a few hours. Now, it will be a stop and ID event? Sort of like trying to enter a military facility?
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
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.
Are Seattle area drug addicts having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to any federal drug war effort?
Has any US community announced that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Is there any possibility that any DEA office or DEA budget will be downsized due to the success of all US Dept. of Homeland Security/Dept. of War efforts in recent months?
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?
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, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Why It Matters
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.
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?
Department of War & Armistice Day
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.
He was observing after Alex Pretti’s killing. He says feds detained him at gunpoint, sampled his DNA, scanned his face, and cloned his phone.
Austin Campbell – The Intercept
Feb 12 2026
“Saari, a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, went to the scene of Alex Pretti’s killing in Minneapolis less than an hour after federal agents fired the fatal shots.”
“…Saari said agents shackled his hands and feet, photographed him, scanned his face, and forced him to provide a DNA sample by depressing his tongue and swabbing the inside of his mouth. He said agents denied him access to an attorney, even though they were present elsewhere in the building and in contact with civilians and federal officials that day.”
Same country that stages a big celebration of freedom and independence from a powerful central government each July 4th.
As Tennessee Brando would say: Where is the “don’t tread on me” crowd now?
“As U.S. citizens, we have the right to keep each other informed about what our government officials are doing and how they’re doing it,” commented Mark Hodges, one of the plaintiffs.
The problem is that the Trump administration doesn’t recognize that right.”
“…it’s an intolerable attack by yet another presidential administration on free speech rights.”
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.
Legal marijuana, concealed carry of handguns, semi automatic rifle sales, federal minimum drinking age, federal toilet regulations, sports betting, federal gas can regulations/free enterprise system, voting rights, bump stock ban, interracial marriage, gay marriage, tobacco sales, open container laws, etc.
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.
“Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote. “If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!”
Violent protest, threats of violence and property damage are not to be tolerated.
Seems like government should be neutral on peaceful/nonviolent protest that involves questioning/protesting US government or foreign government policies.
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.
For many people, Trump was an attractive candidate, especially with the alternative offered up by the DNC.
Both major parties are OK with decades of undeclared/unwon wars.
Both major parties are OK with telling us that wars are for freedom.
Both major parties are OK with wasteful and ineffective Homeland Security spending.
Kristi Noem was supposed to keep cartel product out. She became irrelevant when Operation Macho Swagger went hot to take out boats thought to be operated by drug cartels.
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:
Real newspeople may ask:
If special games require special security-what keeps regular games safe? Crowd size/capacity is similar at several stadiums.
Are fans less safe at regular games?
What prevents terror strikes at hundreds of events & locations unsupervised by federal authorities?
What stops terrorists from going 2 states over and driving a truck across the playground at a daycare center?
Welcome Home Troops
Head Over To Walmart
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.
“Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who chairs the NGA, told fellow governors in a letter on Monday that the White House intended to limit invitations to the association’s annual business meeting, scheduled for Feb. 20, to Republican governors only.”
Above: Grays Harbor – looking south towards Westport.
From 1976 Bicentennial To USA 250
TV Ads
Today, overweight people are hired to do TV Ads for pharmaceutical drugs used to achieve weight loss.
More here:
Breaking Points
Back in 1976, people shown on TV seemed less likely to be overweight. Something like the ship’s crew seen on the The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, or Reality TV when I was a kid:
50 years from adolescent males backpacking on overnight Boy Scout outings to role models for profit on TV and reaching for injections and pills in order to deal with being fat.
USA 250
Same country that stages a big celebration of freedom and independence from a powerful central government each July 4th.
“The Air Force-Navy collaboration representing 250 years of airpower and maritime strength is deemed a reflection of the entire U.S. Armed Forces—Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard—that safeguards freedom.”
Freedom?
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.
Legal marijuana, concealed carry of handguns, semi automatic rifle sales, federal minimum drinking age, federal toilet regulations, sports betting, federal gas can regulations/free enterprise system, web censorship, voting rights, bump stock ban, interracial marriage, gay marriage, tobacco sales, open container laws, etc.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Why do 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?
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.
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?
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Mainstream Media Functions Like Paid Actors Reading A Script
Americans do not live in a free and honest society. Today, the mainstream media will function like paid actors reading a script:
Would any newsperson ever 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?
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.”
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 this 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.
Celebrating USA 250 includes acknowledging the post 911 era.
Gambling
I am OK with people making the choice to gamble. It seems that gambling has a much bigger place in our lives now than it did at the bicentennial in 1976.
Back then, gambling was done in Atlantic City, Reno NV, Las Vegas and some locations that had horse racing. State lotto games seemed to be mostly unheard of.
Today, state lotto games are common. Gambling casinos are common in the state where I live. Multi-state lotto games pay out huge prizes. Game rules are manipulated over time so that jackpots can grow bigger than ever.
I used to enjoy reading an article related to sports and some team or Indy Car driver I was interested in. Sports writers would do great work in covering teams, players, coaches, history, etc.
I go to the web today to read a sports story and often find info that is geared towards betting which is of no interest to me.
We watched a small number of NFL games on TV this past season. I was surprised to see sports betting adds coming at us with the game. Seems odd for what some may have once considered to be family viewing time. Mixing a sports league with betting ads seems a little off.
Grab your smart phone and sign up now to get some free cash and get started. Bet on an unlimited number of games this week.
Family Time
“Hey Grandpa, show me how to use your fucking phone to bet on these upcoming games.” Show me how to be a good consumer by ordering more hot wings with cinnamon bread twists, dipping sauce and liters of pop. Show me how to use your smartphone to talk to the appliances here in the fucking house.
Old Man Blog category:
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
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.
Has any US community announced that first responders are finding less need for Narcan, buprenorphine, Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, or any similar product used in overdose response situations?
Over and again, we are told by Trump and his team that the borders are sealed.
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, ICE crackdowns and designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
Above: Working each week to support community recycling efforts.
In the past, bake sales, car washes and raffles were used to raise money for school projects.
Back in the 90s, catalogs were sent home for friends and family to order candles and other small items (Made in China) from the giant catalog company in the tall office building in Chicago. The big middleman took a cut of the school donations so that educators and parents could minimize the human interactions that may serve as lessons for students on their way to becoming well-adjusted adults.
Small town, USA once featured raffles where educators, Moms and Dads or students went out and explained themselves to the WWII veteran who owned the hardware store. He donated a new toaster in exchange for a little free advertising and he set a tone of goodwill in the community. The gas station would donate a free tank of gas. The grocery store would donate a gift card, a coupon for a car wash, or movie tickets could be in the mix.
Today, the college educated people who run public school districts get together and decide to have machines take care of what used to involve human interaction.
Families may live hours apart. Maybe they haven’t seen or heard from each other in years. Maybe it’s all a big dysfunctional stew.
Maybe the text seems like soliciting tips at a restaurant.
Military flyovers at major sports events are common.
At 0:48 below, the pilot speaks of The Sound of Freedom:
KING 5 News
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.
You can be sure that newspeople and the school teachers who stage Veterans Day assemblies will never ask questions to make sense of how sending US troops to distant lands is related to American rights and freedoms.
Reaching for an honest understanding of how all this works seems to be completely off limits.
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.”
Mainstream Media Functions Like Paid Actors Reading A Script
Americans do not live in a free and honest society. Today, the mainstream media will function like paid actors reading a script:
Would any newsperson ever 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?
Don’t Lie To People And Maybe They Would Be More Patriotic
The Troops are sent into life and death situations in distant lands for our freedoms? Decades later, how about a discussion on how all this is meant to work.
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.
Legal marijuana, concealed carry of handguns, semi automatic rifle sales, federal minimum drinking age, federal toilet regulations, sports betting, federal gas can regulations/free enterprise system, web censorship, voting rights, bump stock ban, interracial marriage, gay marriage, tobacco sales, open container laws, etc.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Why do 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?
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.
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?
Americans were told 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.
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?
Past 25 Years Of American History
This time featured the highest levels of alert to keep terrorists out (REAL ID, big Homeland Security budgets, Super Bowls guarded by DHS, etc.) and lined up with the highest number of drug overdoses due to cartel product arriving in US communities?
Has any newsperson anywhere asked questions on this?
The USA has taken a hard dive since the US 1976 Bicentennial.
1976 came less than a decade past the first Moon landing in 1969. The news was more trusted then. Newspeople showed more in the way of initiative and curiosity in asking questions at the time.
We found a period of Cold War-era peacetime stability. The US Armed Forces were strong and ready and on the back burner, right where they are supposed to be.
Moms and Dads were in charge of families.
Law and order was a positive thing. The LE image was more professional back then.
The F.B.I. was a TV show that aired from 1965–1974.
These guys hit the streets wearing a suit and tie.
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.”
Plans For A Big Celebration This Year Come At A Difficult Time
Just in the past 12 months, things have fallen short.
Kristi Noem deployed her ass kicking drug war road show and public affairs crackdown back in March.
Mar 20, 2025:
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.
There was no Dept. of Homeland Security in 1976.
More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
Noem’s efforts have been backed up by big budgets, US troops at the border, Dept. of War strikes on narcoterrorist drug boats, ICE crackdowns and the designation of cartels as terrorist organizations.
Which community will be first to announce that local drug addicts are having any problem finding their cartel product of choice due to any federal drug war effort?
Any shortage of cartel product in any of these communities?
By Daniel Niemann and Darlene Superville – Associated Press
Jan 16, 2026
“President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.”
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.
“The city of Seattle cleared the long-standing homeless encampments along Utah Avenue in SODO on January 13, just days before the Seahawks’ major home playoff game.”
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.
Above: A meetup with newspeople who ask questions.
“But as the president walked the floor, a worker shouted at Trump a statement that included the words “pedophile protector,” according to a report by TMZ. It was an apparent reference to Trump’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the U.S. Department of Justice’s reluctant release of the infamous Epstein Files.”
More than 2,500 comments have been posted with the WDIV video above.
The Hill
What Others Are Saying – Epstein Cover-Up
Liberty Vault
Breaking Points
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.
It is common in various states that open records laws allow the public records request to be submitted in person orally or in writing and that the public records request may be made anonymously.
Public records laws set up an open door policy for people to go and interact in person with government offices and agencies during normal business hours at public offices.
Tyrant Terminator Audits!!! is a favorite channel where he has explained all this over and again in public offices.
“Of the “Gen Z” population—consisting of people born between 1997 and 2012—some recent estimates have indicated that only around one in four is eligible for military service.”
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.
Four-star officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Unfortunately, DOD spent the past 30 years or so, squandering credibility in distant lands and here at home.
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis. Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
Any questions from newspeople?
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
“According to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the US was projected to lose a staggering $12.5bn (£9.35bn) in international visitor spending in 2025.”
Well done Mr. Businessman.
Trade, Travel and Friendship
Some might say trade, travel and friendship (as much as possible) are good for the economy. This approach may help to avoid misunderstandings and wars.
What we get instead:
Tariffs/tariff threats, threatening Greenland, talk of making Canada the 51st state, increased entry fees at national parks for foreign visitors, etc.
Welcoming Visitors – USA Style – 2026
Friends and family or an exchange student visiting from Canada, Japan or Europe?
You’d like to have a good visit when you travel to see them. Plan to roll out the welcome mat when they visit here next summer.
A trip to a national park might be a chance to leave the pressures of the world behind for a few hours. Now, it will be a stop and ID event? Sort of like trying to enter a military facility?
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
“The Trump administration believes you don’t have the right to record Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in public. This stance is both factually wrong and an attempt to chill free speech by conflating it with violence.”
Minneapolis News
Valhalla VFT
Alternative media gets it done:
Kristi Noem describes the federal version of events:
WatchlistTYT
WatchlistTYT
Alternative media not yet shut down by DHS:
The Jimmy Dore Show
What Others Are Saying
A counterpoint:
Washington Gun Law
Mark Dice
Limited Powers
Law enforcement authorities in the US have limited powers away from border crossings and ports of entry.
In a free society- young people would understand this prior to graduating from high school.
It would be as well understood as memorizing a pledge to a flag.
Nothing about this knowledge is about being disrespectful or interfering with law enforcement operations.
We are hoping things begin to calm down inside and outside US borders. This is important because now is the time for a big America 250 celebration all across the US and we don’t want an ongoing (since I left high school 4.5 decades ago) breakdown of society to get in the way of all that.
WatchlistTYT
The Young Turks
Judge Napolitano – Judging Freedom
To set the right mood for America 250 celebration events in the months ahead, please meditate on press briefings provided by Karoline Leavitt.
Former Minnesota Governor:
The Rational National
Puget Sound Area Updates/Ongoing Breakdown Of Society
KIRO 7 News
KOMO News
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.
“While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.”
Trade, Travel and Friendship
Some might say trade, travel and friendship (as much as possible) are good for the economy. This approach may help to avoid misunderstandings and wars.
Welcoming Visitors – USA Style – 2026
Friends and family or an exchange student visiting from Canada, Japan or Europe?
You’d like to have a good visit when you travel to see them. Plan to roll out the welcome mat when they visit here next summer.
A trip to a national park might be a chance to leave the pressures of the world behind for a few hours. Now, it will be a stop and ID event? Sort of like trying to enter a military facility.
Step over here and show us your papers before entering the park.
How many passengers are in the vehicle? All US citizens? Please pull over into the inspection lane for a brief interview and REAL ID check.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
“There is no sign indicating Trump plans on taking his foot off the gas when it comes to Venezuela and Maduro. The operations will continue, and our guys will continue to get the job done.”
Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security appears to be completely irrelevant here.
Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
Fake War on Terror – Borders Not Sealed
A fake War on Terror features a DEA that thrives on borders that are not sealed and the newspeople who avoid asking questions about all this.
Kristi Noem & Dept. of War Vietnam-style drug boat body counts fail to keep fentanyl from entering the US.
Just ask the DEA:
December 2025 – The Border Is Not Sealed
Compliant TV newspeople host the DEA for friendly interviews avoiding any mention of progress made by Kristi Noem or Dept. of War strikes on drug boats.
Border Not Sealed – Seattle DEA
In recent years, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Arizona DEA – Border Not Sealed
Texas – All Federal Efforts Fall Short
Again- Kristi Noem’s giant and expensive US Dept. of Homeland Security appears to be completely irrelevant here.
The post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, Homeland Security grant money, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, tracking of cell phones, best advances in REAL ID and AI technologies, etc.) fails to keep fentanyl out:
“The Drug Enforcement Agency has launched a new nationwide initiative called Fentanyl Free America, aiming for zero deaths from the deadly synthetic drug as fentanyl seizures continue to rise across the country.”
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?
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?
If you are on the Kristi Noem team, you have been out kicking ass this year. You have placed cartels on notice in a no-nonsense fashion.
What wars has DOD won by designating groups as terrorist organizations or by going after weapons of mass destruction?
Any questions from newspeople?
More than six months back, Kristi Noem deployed her ass kicking drug war road show.
Mar 20, 2025:
Homeland Security Vision of Success
Promotional events crafted and controlled by public affairs professionals, staged with major drug hauls, patrol boats, helicopters, etc.
The big campaign features top level team leaders thanking each other.
Well done.
Announcing the number of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels sent towards the US/Mexico border demonstrates a sense of commitment.
If you are part of a local drug task force, or narcotics enforcement team, you are advertising the latest big drug bust after cartel product is able to move past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry, REAL ID checks and a barrier of DOD ground units, US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels prior to arriving in Hometown, USA.
If you are part of the DEA, you may hope for limited success coming from the Trump/Noem team because what would you do with yourself if cartel drugs could no longer enter the US?
Please let us know when Seattle area drug addicts have any difficulty finding their cartel product of choice.
If you are part of a local health dept. you are handing out Naloxone as always, to deal with the stuff that doesn’t get reported in the big local drug bust.
The 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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
“They’re also planning a second ball drop July 3, the eve of the nation’s birthday, “in the same beautiful style that Times Square knows how to do it,” Rios said.”
“It will mark the first time in 120 years there will be ball drop in Times Square that doesn’t occur on New Year’s Eve, she said.”
“President Donald Trump has also announced the “Freedom 250” initiative to coordinate additional events for the 250th anniversary.”
Get Ready To Celebrate
Get ready to celebrate what became of the federal government over the past 250 years.
“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.”
Reflect on 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.
Reflect on freedoms that diminish over time.
Both major parties are OK with federal prohibition of alcohol and tobacco for adults age 18-20.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Reflect on the reality that 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.
Reflect on the idea that, in recent years, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Happy 250 USA
Bill Hicks: You are free to do as we tell you.
At 4:17 below, Bill Hicks delivers his message.
Reflect on a War on Terror that sends US troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure while cartels are able to move product into all 50 states:
Look for TV newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions related to US history such as:
It took a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of a glass of wine- why no constitutional amendment to authorize a federal prohibition of marijuana?
“A Christmas Eve jazz concert held annually for two decades at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was canceled by its host this year in protest of the addition of Donald Trump‘s name to the Washington, D.C., building.”
“But on December 18 and 19, 2025—in scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic—the sitting President and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump.”
Trade, Travel and Friendship
Some might say trade, travel and friendship (as much as possible) are good for the economy. This approach may help to avoid misunderstandings and wars.
“The lessons of WWII were taken seriously by naval commanders. One of these lessons was that battleships are too big, too expensive, require too many crewmembers, are tough to maintain, are slow and are easy targets for planes and submarines.”
“Battleships have been obsolete for more than 100 years and the U.S. Navy realized this back in WWII. The weapons and systems that made them obsolete have only become more lethal.”
“A Christmas Eve jazz concert held annually for two decades at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was canceled by its host this year in protest of the addition of Donald Trump‘s name to the Washington, D.C., building.”
“But on December 18 and 19, 2025—in scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic—the sitting President and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump.”
Above: Approved Flag Images
