Truth Counts

The Wife of Shooter Cole Tomas Allen Let me make it very clear that I do not have the tools to vet any of this information. It is in the category of "interesting but perhaps fake". The name "Thomas" is spelled differently. Conspiracy theorists will love this image.  But remember that an image does not denote fact.  Facts must be carefully independently verified.  And what is a possible moment in time does not denote friendship.  I have an image of me with President George W. Bush.  I assisted with a book-signing. Most likely, I was forgotten within one nano-second of leaving the building.  smile This one is probably valid. But again - it is a strange dystopian world in an age of AI and the general gullibility of the public.

Attack on the White House Correspondent's Dinner   I was watching a movie when the texts started coming in regarding the attack.  A flash of memory.  The Garland, Texas attack.  We were kept safe.  And when I arrived home after midnight, having ride-shared in a taxi with the official photographer for the event,  I thanked God for his goodness.   Everything had been done properly.  Our press credentials were vetted before we entered the parking lot.  I placed my items in a bowl and passed through a magnetometer.  Everything was great... until it wasn't great anymore. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15766553/White-House-shooter-Cole-Allen-suspect-motive-revealed.html I remain grateful that only one member of the Secret Service team was injured.  It could have been a murderous rampage.   But this statement is incorrect: 'He failed,' Blanche said. 'Law enforcement did their jobs.'    He didn't fail. He br...

Terrorist Adaptation to Affordable Asymmetrical Weaponry I am following what is happening in Mali tonight.  Two Islamist terror groups are involved in coordinated attacks and there are reports  that hundreds have been killed. Of greatest concern, is something which I have never seen within the asymmetrical battlespace until now. I am used to seeing technicals (or NSTV) in places like Sudan, etc.   But this is the first time that I am viewing images of machine guns mounted on motorcycles.  It is an unbelievably frightening view. Mali ground forces have been assisted by Wagner Group in repelling the assault.  But again - many deaths. And I stop and shudder a bit - thinking of October 7th.  Thank God,  members of HAMAS which I saw leaving their compound on motorcycles to begin their reign of terror had not traveled with mounted automatic weapons.  The carnage would have been much worse.  And it was bad enough, what I viewed that day coming...

Random Notes Copied from X. Qalibaf and Jalili.. Two Heavyweights in Iran's Decision-Making Circle It is no random choice that the hostile media targets these two names specifically. Qalibaf — Speaker of Parliament, with a military background in the Revolutionary Guard, represents the pragmatic current that balances field requirements with state calculations. Jalili — Former nuclear negotiator, the face of the hardline principled current, represents the "no concessions" line in national security files. Both are in the actual decision-making circle — not on its margins. And in wartime, the tension between these two lines does not remain ideological.. it turns into a dispute over: - The ceiling of the military response - The timing of negotiations - Management of regional fronts Media targeting of the relationship between them = an attempt to disrupt consensus at the most critical moments of decision-making. And in the category of "I told you so...." https://...

Latest News on Iran's Willingness to Negotiate Eman Shamshi, Head of the Communications, Media, and Cultural Affairs Center in the Iranian Parliament: We deny the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf from the chairmanship of the Iranian negotiating delegation. Moreover, a new round of negotiations has not been scheduled in the first place for him or anyone else to serve as the head of the Iranian delegation. Binding and Strict Orders from the Supreme Leader According to reliable sources, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution has informed both President Qalibaf, the Foreign Minister, and the Supreme National Security Council of the following: There will be no negotiations with the Americans Unless our announced and legitimate conditions are met in the three dossiers: Lebanon The Nuclear Program The Strait of Hormuz As for Araghchi's tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, it is about delivering messages: no negotiations. The message is clear: Tehran does not negotiate under...

A Parental Guide to Running a War It is a "We Against They" story which we still recount with glee and with ample humor. None of us can remember the infraction, but we remember the punishment.  Whatever the event - there is a remembrance of all of us hiding behind the couch, our father asking for the culprit to reveal himself, and like a snarly pack of rats, none of us would admit to the crime.  We would die together. It seemed fitting.  Daddy pulled us out from behind the couch one-by-one and spanked us.   Four of us took the punishment because not one of us would admit to being a ringleader or participant in what was the fun to be had each day under the roof of very practical parents. With the current messiness with Iran the roles are actually reversed.  The Pentagon  is the petulant child.  And the parents are NATO allies.  Everybody is taking a whack at our ill-planned course of action. And our POTUS and Pentagon -  who cannot produc...