Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Constitutional Peril in Defense Secretary’s Straw Man on Extremism in Military
After almost a year of work, the secretary of defense on Dec. 20 released a report on findings regarding extremist activities in the U.S. military and actions to be taken to counter them.
After all that’s going on in the world, it must be heady stuff to warrant so much of the secretary’s time.
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Despite the Chinese’s massed air formations near Taiwan or Russia’s 100,000 troops poised for war near the Ukraine border, there’s a bigger threat seemingly on the defense secretary’s mind; namely, extremism in the ranks.
The numbers, however, don’t support his concern, and it’s likely there’s another agenda in play.
First, the numbers. You’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a pandemic of extremism among our military members after watching our military leaders testify on the issue or listening to the mainstream media.
When all the smoke clears, an objective assessment doesn’t support that conclusion, and no report to date has delivered any data to indicate otherwise.
Indeed, the secretary’s own spokesperson reported that prohibited extremist activity amounted to “fewer than 100 incidents” over the past year. That’s in a force of more than 2 million men and women.
Moreover, responding to a request in 2018 from then-Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the Department of Defense reported only 27 incidents of extremist activity over the previous five years.
The Pentagon’s vigorous response to these underwhelming numbers includes actions to consider changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, better information sharing with law enforcement, screening of service members, and increased training and education.
Those seem reasonable, if applied with equal jurisprudence, but there’s reason for concern.
However, why did Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on only his 12th day in office issue directives to hunt for extremists in the ranks? The only plausible explanation is political.
Only after the hunt for extremists had gotten underway did the secretary issue a directive to review the Pentagon’s China policies—inarguably a more pressing issue for national defense.
The galvanizing event for the concern over extremism was the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, which involved a number of ex-military members. The riot was a national embarrassment, demonstrating inexcusable incompetence in planning and policing—for which no one in government has been held to account.
However, a substantial effort was launched to track down rioters and to lock them up in solitary confinement for months, including those without a prior record of violence.
The same cannot be said for the months of riots and violence perpetrated in...
Ex-Marine accused of being 'FBI plant sent to incite Jan 6 riot' is pictured on his ranch
- Ray Epps, a Marine veteran, was seen in video urging a group of Trump supporters in Washington DC to 'go into the Capitol' on January 5 and 6
- DailyMail.com located Epps, 60, who is at the center of a conspiracy theory alleging he was an FBI plant sent to help incite the deadly riot
- Epps is the former president of the largest chapter of the far-right anti- government militia group the Oath Keepers
- His alleged involvement in the deadly insurrection was highlighted in the DOJ's House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing in October
- U.S Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) showed video clips of Epps repeatedly encouraging protestors on the streets of DC to 'go into' the Capitol
- Epps was seen addressing supporters on the street on January 5 saying: 'I'm probably going to go to jail for it, OK? Tomorrow, we need to go into the Capitol'
- There is no evidence that Epps, a sergeant in the military, ever entered the building himself and he was never arrested in connection to the siege
Cattle graze contentedly as he makes his rounds of the property he's transformed into a thriving wedding venue business, focusing on the location's rustic charm.
However, the tranquil scene just outside Phoenix, Arizona, could not be in starker contrast to one in which he is also associated – the storming of the Capitol Building on January 6.
Because not only is Epps, 60, a genial host of rural weddings, he's also the former president of the largest chapter of far-right anti-government militia group the Oath Keepers and was seen in video urging supporters to 'go into the Capitol' on the day of the deadly insurrection.
He was also spotted in footage at the first barrier to fall to rioters as it was breached at 12:50pm.
And he was named Suspect 16 when the FBI published images in its Capitol Violence Most Wanted list of people to identify two days after the insurrection, which claimed five lives.
However, a dramatic twist has now seen him accused of an altogether different, an unproven, allegiance - that of FBI plant.
Suspicion has fallen on him from some right-wing quarters speculating a fringe theory that he was sent out to help incite the riot on behalf of the federal government.
Some on the far right hypothesize that the motive was to frame Trump supporters as domestic terrorists.
There is no evidence that Epps, who was a sergeant in the military, ever entered the building himself on that fateful day and he was never arrested in connection with the storming.
DailyMail.com located the veteran at...
The 90 Miles Mystery Video: Nyctophilia Edition #882
Before You Click On The "Read More" Link,
Please Only Do So If You Are Over 21 Years Old.
If You are Easily Upset, Triggered Or Offended, This Is Not The Place For You.
Please Leave Silently Into The Night......
The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #1582
You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside?
It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific,
from the beautiful to the repugnant,
from the mysterious to the familiar.
If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed,
you could be inspired, you could be appalled.
This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.
You have been warned.
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
FASCISM FAIL: DC, NEW YORK REPORT HIGHEST CORONAVIRUS CASES PER CAPITA IN U.S…
Restriction-heavy Washington, DC, and New York are reporting the highest daily average of coronavirus cases per capita in the United States, Tuesday’s data found.
According to the New York Times‘s coronavirus data tracker, D.C. leads the U.S. in reporting the highest daily average of coronavirus cases per 100,000, clocking in at 279. Blue New York follows with 175 cases per capita.
While the majority of the country appears to be experiencing a winter surge in cases, both restriction-heavy areas are still reporting more cases per capita than Florida, which is reporting 113 per capita. The Sunshine State has never had a mask mandate in place, and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the state legislature took action this year, providing protections for workers who faced losing their job over vaccine mandates.
Meanwhile, New York, once the U.S. epicenter of the virus, endured extended lockdowns and now faces further restrictions, as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently issued an ultimatum to businesses. Under her rule, businesses either need to check the vaccination status of patrons or require masks across the board. While some counties have said that they will not comply with the rule, Hochul promised millions in assistance to those following her orders. Her office backtracked last week after the Democrat governor suggested that the state would also send state inspectors to provide “spot checks” for counties to ensure compliance. Her office later clarified that enforcement will be done “by local health departments.”
New York City, specifically, is under even more stringent rules thanks to Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is now mandating vaccines on private sector employees and requiring children as young as 5 to provide proof of vaccination in order to participate in basic activities, such as dining at an indoor restaurant.
In D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) recently reintroduced coronavirus restrictions as well, reinstating the city’s mask mandate yet again, which will last at least until January 31, 2022:
Additionally, Bowser is now forcing “all employees, contractors, interns, and grantees of DC Government” to...
A federal lawsuit accuses Virginia police of covering up a sex-trafficking ring in exchange for sexual services from the victims
The lawsuit accused five high-ranking police officers of being complicit in protecting a sex-trafficking ring.
- A federal lawsuit accuses police officers in Virginia of shielding a sex-trafficking ring for years.
- The suit says high-ranking officers worked against a lone detective looking into the operation.
- It says the detective resigned after agreeing not to pursue his investigation under threat.
The civil-rights attorney Victor Glasberg filed the lawsuit on behalf of a Costa Rican woman identified as "Jane Doe."
The lawsuit, seen by Insider, said five defendants who were on the force at that time — two supervisory officers, a police captain, a police lieutenant, and a chief of police — conspired to protect the traffickers.
The complaint said at least some of them "secured sexual services from trafficked women, and may also have extorted money from the ring's leadership."
It goes on to say they worked to undermine an investigation into the trafficking ring by a lone detective, William Woolf, and became hostile to him as he homed in on the illicit operation.
The lawsuit said Woolf's direct superior, a then-supervisory officer identified as Michael Barbazette, would disparagingly call Woolf a "social worker" and introduced strict restrictions on Woolf, such as requiring daily reports from him and denying overtime work.
"Police officials regularly derided the notion that trafficked women were victims, insisting instead that they were simply prostitutes willingly engaged in unlawful commercial activity," the lawsuit said.
The suit alleges that Barbazette and another supervisory officer, Jason Mardocco, would tip off the traffickers of impending police activity by telling them to take down online advertisements for commercial sex ahead of sting operations. Neither officer is still on the force.
The lawsuit says police superiors ignored Woolf's reports
The lawsuit alleges that when Woolf reported Barbazette's actions to his next immediate superior, a police captain named James Baumstark, he was told to stay quiet. Baumstark is also accused of...
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