There were about a dozen moments within this interview when FEMA Director Brock Long could have easily broken out with: “I ain’t got no time for that“, as the insufferable Chris Wallace demands Long talk about the politics of disaster relief.
Mr. Brock Long and the entire organization of FEMA workers have been doing outstanding work with a ‘no quit’ attitude for months.  Great interview:

(more…)

A rather disturbing revelation from former congressman Jason Chaffetz during an interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro.  About half-way through the interview Judge Pirro asks Chaffetz about ongoing examples of DC corruption.
Mr. Chaffetz shares a personal conversation he had with Attorney General Jeff Sessions where the attorney general informed Chaffetz there would be no investigation or prosecution of any prior DC corrupt and illegal behavior from Obama-era administration officials.  According to Chaffetz none of the unlawful activities of former DC officials will be investigated, prosecuted or pursued.

.
While it’s not necessarily surprising to hear, if true, this is still a very disappointing development.  Washington DC operating above the law only worsens problems. Destabilizing the country with disparate rules for the professional political class increases anxiety and makes cohesion impossible.
(more…)

Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello, FEMA Region II Acting Administrator John Rabin, Federal Coordinating Officer Alejandro de la Campa and Commander of Joint Force Land Component Command Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan provide current updates on the status of Puerto Rico relief efforts after Hurricane Maria, Sept. 30, 2017.

.
“We need to do a lot more in order for us to get out of the emergency,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said in San Juan. “But the other thing that’s also true is that the administration has answered and has complied with our petitions in an expedited manner.”
(more…)

A very emotional female police officer from Puerto Rico’s police department in Guaynabo calls in to a U.S. spanish speaking radio station to tell listeners what is going on in Puerto Rico.  The police woman is very upset, crying and sobbing often, and shares how the Mayor of San Juan is politicizing the situation and not offering help.
The call and video was recorded September 28th, and highlights the corruption within government within Puerto Rico and the Municipal authority of San Juan. The video is English closed captioned (hit “CC” option) and a transcript is below:

Transcript:
Radio Announcer: What is your name?
Police Caller: I cannot give my name because I work for Puerto Rico’s Police Department. I need to pass this information out because the stuff that is being brought from the U.S. is not being distributed.  They are not allowing the Puerto Rican people to receive the donations.
Radio Announcer: What part of Puerto Rico are you calling us from right now?
(more…)

CNN attempts to spin a narrative, FEMA Director refuses to engage. FEMA Director Brock Long explains how the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz has intentionally disconnected herself from the unified chain-of-command for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in favor of playing politics.
Additionally and incredibly, Mayor Yulin Cruz has never even visited the San Juan Headquarters where FEMA, Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept of Defense, National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and PR state governors office are communicating, prioritizing and responding to the urgent needs of municipal leaders and the citizens of Puerto Rico.
Ridiculously, Mayor Yulin Cruz chooses to remain a few blocks away talking politics to media cameras instead of engaging with local, state and federal officials on recovery efforts. FUBAR.
Notice at 09:00 where Director Long specifically discusses the need for disaster response action from the local community, and how citizens should participate instead of remaining dependent on federal government.  Quickly CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield jumps in to cut him off so that CNN producers can continue selling their narrative. WATCH:

(more…)

Ahead of an upcoming trip by President Donald Trump, and against the backdrop of economic sanctions by Trump/Mnuchin and the U.N. toward North Korea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson works on the “Magnanimous Panda” strategy within the Trump Doctrine.
The ‘Big Picture’ goal is for China to accept responsibility, publicly, for spearheading the denuclearizing program within an established “six party talk” framework.  China ultimately becoming the guarantor of a denuclearized DPRK, and President Trump stroking the Panda Fur (praise) while simultaneously controlling the amount of bamboo in the Beijing forest.  So far, things are proceeding swimmingly.

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping offered warm words for U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, calling him a friend and saying he expected Trump’s visit to China in November would be “wonderful”.

(more…)

The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz attempts to make the crisis in Puerto Rico political.  The insufferable mindset to make things political is only exceeded by the ridiculous optic of calling for federal aid while surrounded by relief supplies provided entirely by the U.S. federal government.

•50% of the native Puerto Rican National Guard refused to report to duty when the governor called them up. •Thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, provided by FEMA, U.S. military and U.S. relief agencies, sit at ports while municipal government has no process for delivering them. •Frente Amplio (PR Teamsters Union – truck drivers) are on strike and refusing to deliver supplies. •Over 10,000 U.S. federal personnel are providing recovery and relief on the island….

…and the priority for the Mayor of San Juan, with no power or infrastructure, is to have T-Shirts made to push a political agenda?

Funny how Anderson Cooper never asks:Where does one get a shirt like this made when Puerto Rico is under water and out of power? (rhetorical question)
(more…)

President Donald Trump discusses the short-term (relief) and long-term (recovery) efforts for Puerto Rico.    As everyone is aware, even before the storm the island territory was under financial collapse as a result of Democrat mismanagement and generational political agendas’ creating a culture of dependency.
Hurricane Maria has exacerbated Puerto Rico’s problems and is showcasing a governmental structure incapable of governing during crisis.  The media hypes the suffering, yet omits the Island’s inept systems of governance and the culture of dependency.  The only way the U.S. federal government can assist effectively is by taking over almost every aspect of state and local government.
As President Trump points out in this impromptu press conference, congress has some decisions to make on the long-term future of Puerto Rico.  Throwing money at the problem is futile when the recipient systems are fraught with ineptitude and corruption.

.
After several conversations with dozens of relief and recovery workers the message to CTH from boots-on-the-ground is the same: the culture of dependency is jaw-dropping. Watch the raw background footage from Western media on the island and see if you can spot any native Puerto Rican residents doing much, if anything, to help themselves.
FUBAR
(more…)

Against the backdrop of targeted sonic-weapon attacks against American diplomatic personnel the U.S. State Department removes non-essential employees and issues a travel warning against Americans traveling to Cuba.
STATE DEPT – Over the past several months, 21 U.S. Embassy employees have suffered a variety of injuries from attacks of an unknown nature. The affected individuals have exhibited a range of physical symptoms, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping. Investigators have been unable to determine who is responsible or what is causing these attacks.
On September 29, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, as well as all family members. Until the Government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our Embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm.
(more…)