This is a little lengthy of a discussion, but it touches upon something very relevant to this election cycle.  Author Diana West discusses a network and pattern of ideology within the modern pentagon leadership, and how a worldview is threatened by President Trump. The interview and discussion is below.

The conversation necessarily gets in the weeds and is filled with unique insight into a very complex alignment. However, in the big picture it’s not difficult to figure out why the Pentagon would be opposed to Trump.  During the campaign and early administration President Trump’s expressed foreign policy was viewed by NATO alliance members as a threat.  The same type of perspective applies internally to the U.S. military.

President Trump’s preferred use of economic warfare makes the Pentagon’s role diminished. Instead of punching North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, President Trump hits the checkbook of Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping.  The primary has become the contingency. The value of James Mattis replaced by the effectiveness of Robert Lighthizer.  JC Milley isn’t in the planning room; Milley’s been replaced by Wilbur Ross (until he’s needed).

In the Trump era the President is telling the Pentagon where and when to position; and asks them for ‘contingency’ preparation.  Decades of Pentagon-centric foreign policy is lessened by an entirely new geopolitical approach based on economic strategy.

Take away power, or worse yet, stop using military power, and the leaders within the system start to sense their institution becoming functionally obsolescent.  Overlay this military view upon pre-existing ideological differences and the situation gets worse.

CTH touched on this last year when we noted how the Pentagon, specifically the joint chiefs, never took any action when Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman positioned himself as an opponent to President Trump’s policy perspective.  The pentagon left Vindman on assignment to the NSC even after Vindman attempted to take-down President Trump.

Another example was Joint Chief Chairman Milley, and the visit Pompeo and Milley took to Mar-a-Lago in December, where they were informing President Trump of military strikes in Syria and Iraq *after* they took place. [Background Here] [Background Here].

(more…)

Today in Minneapolis was the first of three funerals for George Floyd in three states.  The next funeral will be held in North Carolina on Saturday; then the grievance tour travels to Texas for a full day viewing on Monday, and final funeral on Tuesday.

What media will not discuss is the lack of visible support across social media on the first day of the five official days of public mourning.  Perhaps the BLM and AME network have overplayed their hand; and/or, people are burned-out over the continued use of the race card.  It also did not help that Al Sharpton played the lead role for funeral one.

Now, considering the amount of media coverage, what I just wrote might sound odd; but I’m not looking at media… I’m looking at the national audience response to the overblown media coverage.  There is a big difference and a massive disconnect.

The media are hyping the five days of national mourning and live broadcasting the funerals and events.  However, the downstream reception rate appears very poor.

(more…)

On the same day U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announces an investigative finding that Antifa is behind much of the recent violence, looting and arson; James O’Keefe releases an undercover video of Project Veritas efforts infiltrating the group.  First, from AG Barr:

Dept of Justice – […] At some demonstrations, there are groups that exploit the opportunity to engage in looting. And finally, at some demonstration, there are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.

We have evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. We are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence. (more)

Here’s the O’Keefe expose:

(more…)

Once you understand the larger objectives, everything becomes a sequence of predictable events. The term “community policing” has been used for several years by groups advocating for radical changes to law enforcement; however, behind the innocuous phrase is really a much more serious agenda.

If each community can determine the enforcement of law, then essentially all communities can eliminate the underlying law itself. Remove local enforcement of law and the local community can independently assemble a social structure separate from all other binding contracts that frame a larger societal compact.  [Brian Fallon Tweet Link]

This “community policing” process is already taking place in many European communities the results create what are known as “no go zones.” Neighborhoods, and entire parts of cities, where local Sharia compliance enforcement officers have replaced the police force; and the rules, regulations and enforcement are detached from the larger social compact. Considering that Minneapolis has a large concentration of Somali Muslims within the local population, it makes sense this approach is now discussed for their city.

Minneapolis – […] Now the council members are listening to a city that is wounded, angry, fed up with decades of violence disproportionately visited upon black and brown residents. Various private and public bodies – from First Avenue to Minneapolis Public Schools – have essentially cut ties with the police department. Council members are trying to figure out what their next move is.

(more…)

The riots, arson, looting and related violence has spread from Minneapolis Minnesota to many urban areas around the nation. From ground reports it appears Antifa groups (aka White ISIS) have organized for chaos in Minneapolis and beyond.

Sunday night the mayhem has spread to more Democrat strongholds in Santa Monica (CA), Philadelphia (PA), Nashville (TN), Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Washington DC, Houston (TX), New York City (NY), Los Angeles (CA), and other deep blue metropolitan areas. There are organized riots, anti-police violence and chaos organized by Antifa and elements within the Black Lives Matter groups.

Many people are calling for federal intervention; however, that type of confrontation is the intended goal of the social anarchy crowd. The leftist chaos is purposeful bait; let them exhaust themselves first and highlight inept democrat Mayors and Governors.

Politically speaking, the merging of Antifa (revolution communists) & Black Lives Matter (sub-text political Islam), has a purposeful agenda unknown to the standard brick thrower. Suburban white liberals, essentially modern affiliates of the former Bill Ayers Weather Underground, are the organizing entities. Most of the people on the street are oblivious.

(more…)

While watching the third night of mayhem, looting and riots in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night President Trump tweeted: “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts”, and the media went bananas.

Every person of normal and stable constitution knew the meaning was looting and violence leads to shooting and escalated violence; thus it needs to be addressed with urgency by local officials in charge of maintaining the peace.  However, the media needed to pretend they were unaware of common sense in order to turn the phrase into an attack against the president.  President Trump responds:

The background of George Floyd being killed by police officer Derek Chauvin is horrific.  There is no justification for Chauvin’s action and the seemingly cavalier attitude by those who were at the scene of the events.  Outrage and emotional reaction over the video of the events is not surprising; but the riots, arson and looting are another level of troubling.

(more…)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears on Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan to discuss the negotiated peace agreement between the U.S. and Taliban in Afghanistan.

(more…)

The United States and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Taliban) have signed a peace agreement to end the nineteen-year war in Afghanistan.  [Details Here]  During the signing ceremony Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered the following remarks.
[Video and Transcript]

.
[Transcript] – SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon. I want to start by thanking His Highness Sheikh Tamim for Qatar’s invaluable role as host of these historic talks. His unstinting support, and yours foreign minister, have supported both sides and allowed them to reach this momentous day.
The United States and the Taliban have endured decades of hostility and mistrust. Previous talks have faltered. This effort only became real for the United States when the Taliban signaled interest in pursuing peace and ending their relationship with al-Qaida and other foreign terrorist groups. They also recognized that military victory was impossible. I then asked Ambassador Khalilzad to serve as our lead negotiator to gauge the Taliban’s sincerity.
(more…)

Several new outlets have been reporting today on the death of Philip Haney, a DHS whistleblower who became well known for outlining how the Obama administration downplayed issues surrounding domestic radical Jihadist activity and Islamic terrorism.

It is being reported by Amador County, CA, sheriff’s office that Haney died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  However, many people are questioning the finding.

CALIFORNIA – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whistleblower Philip Haney was found dead in Amador County, Calif., on Friday, according to local authorities.

Haney, 66, “appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Amador County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. Sheriff and coroner Martin A. Ryan shared the initial details of the case.

(more…)

During the State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Trump remarked:

“Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life!”

al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had taken credit for the terrorist attack at Pensacola Naval Air Station – Today the White House announces:
“At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation in Yemen that successfully eliminated Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and the leader of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and a deputy to al-Qa’ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Rimi joined al-Qa’ida in the 1990s, working in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden. Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces. His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qa’ida movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security.”
(more…)