Trump Anointed; HRC to follow

The GOP Mantle has been passed officially, and once and for all to Donald J. Trump. In acceptance, Trump made quick work of outlining the dreadful condition we in the U.S. find ourselves and precisely where the blame for that belongs. To be sure, there’s plenty gone wrong. Such is life. Yet another Black American needlessly shot by White Police. Yet another Police Officer killed. Yet another Terrorist Attack, this time against harmless passengers aboard an inter-city German railway.

To hear Donald Trump tell it, it’s all Hillary Clinton’s fault. And, to hear him tell it – he ‘alone’, is the solution. And it’s all pretty much standard Presidential Campaign fare. The incumbent party and its leaders are the Problem, we the challengers, are the Solution. But of course, there’s nothing typical or standard about the Trump trip into Presidential Politics. He does not proclaim to be a team member, or even the team Captain.

To hear him tell it; he is our Voice, and he ‘alone’ can save us. Although I’m a Democratic Party-leaning, and Liberal-leaning type of guy, I’m no Huge Fan of Mrs. Clinton. To be sure, there’s plenty of ‘Baggage’ that goes along with her. However, having heard Mr. Trump last night, I am certain, now more than ever before, I want no part of living under a Trump Presidency.

Living in a nation with a Presidential Cabinet with the likes of Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Jeff Sessions, and/or Cong. Peter King? No Thank You, Please. Trump, in his most-restrained and well, conventional, speech, perhaps inspired by his adult children, did manage a certain degree of decorum. Especially so when his bloodthirsty crowd began chanting, ‘Lock her up!’

‘No…now…’ Trump intoned evenly, ‘Let’s defeat her in November!’ Not the typical hot-head rant or tweet we’re accustomed to from him. But, hope for Reason was soon dashed as claimed his mere presence, would restore law and order, defeat ISIS, and restore economic equity. No Policy, just ‘I am the Answer’. Being Christian, I must tell you that such language is more than just a little disturbing.

The next day, not being one to let bygones be bygones, even when it would serve him well, poked the Hornet’s Nest that is Ted Cruz. And, unable to contain his ‘Conspiracy Theory’ ways, asked – I just want to know why his (Cruz), father is on the front page of the Inquirer having lunch with crazy Lee Harvey Oswald. President Trump? Nah, I rather think not.

Ted Cruz - Taking No Chances

In various circles, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), has been assailed as a ‘malcontent’, a ‘Dirty player’. Also seen as ‘Not being a Team player’, and ‘Defiant’. Well, Yeah!
For Months during his campaign to be the G.O.P. Presidential Nominee, he has informed anyone paying attention that he viewed one Donald J. Trump, correctly, of being these very same things. So it should come as Little-to-No Surprise that he failed to endorse Trump, for the sake of Party Unity, as the Republican Party Candidate. At the pivotal moment, when Cruz was supposed to give his endorsement, he told his fellow Republicans to – ‘Vote their conscience, up and down the ballot’. At this point, Ted Cruz had little to lose, and had never given any indication that he would suddenly endorse Trump.
Whether Trump knew this was coming, or had merely anticipated that it might, is a matter of conjecture. That Trump was poised waiting in the wings to grab the spotlight is now clear. That Cruz was guilty of playing a Dirty Trick, or being disloyal, should hardly startle any observers.  Dirty Tricks and ‘Disloyalty’ have a long history in Presidential Politics, and Cruz has long been viewed as an experienced practitioner of ‘The Game’.
Cruz has been accused of ‘Not playing by the rules’. Can someone remind me please, of what exactly ‘The Rules’ are here? And for that matter how well Trump has adhered to whatever theoretical ‘Rules’ there are in this ‘Game’?
Most of us can agree I believe, that a certain decorum had been observed when it comes to Convention ‘On-Stage’ conduct. However, On-stage decorum kind of fell by the wayside when Clint Eastwood mocked a current President in the form of an empty chair. And Truth be told, both Trump’s and Cruz’s, (as well as a few of the others), Conduct, on-Stage and Off, has defied accepted Norms.
Trump has engaged in everything from Posting unflattering photos of Cruz’s Wife, to asserting Cruz’s Father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. And lest we forget the multi-dozen times Trump referred to him as ‘Lyin’ Ted’. Now we’re startled that Cruz didn’t endorse Trump? Please.
Sen. Cruz made it a point of emphasis to highlight his Father’s presence at the Convention, speaking about how he’d fled persecution in Cuba, with $100 ‘sewn into his underwear’.
All said and done, Cruz didn’t forfeit much by his Convention ploy. If as expected by many, Trump suffers a loss which is, well, uh, Huge, the Republican Party as we know it today, will have to undergo a major reorganization and refocusing. In which case, Ted Cruz will be very much in an ‘I Told Ya’ So…’ standing. 
If as some expect, Trump is able to eke out a victory, the GOP as we know it will undergo a major reorganization and refocusing. One in which Ted Cruz was going to be left on the sidelines anyway, so there was little at stake for him there. Either way, despite dramatic appearance, it involved little risk all along.
One final conclusion – following Mitt Romney’s substantial defeat in contesting President Obama, the GOP had promised an ‘Autopsy’, and a commitment to Learn from missed opportunities. Yet, somehow they wound up with Donald Trump, and the ‘Dirty Trickster’ Ted Cruz vying for the Top Spot. So, What were the lessons learned?  

Trump: He's Done It Again !

 I'm not endorsing or opposing anyone here, right now. Those who follow my posts, I'm fairly certain, know where I stand. This, is not about That. This is about a man at a Publicized, Televised Event, and shoots off the cuff -"Vets are dying in  line at the VA, waiting 5 or 6 days,to see a Doctor". Excuse Me, What ?  

People like me with similar interests, in the same Groups, are quite aware of the VA Crisis. It is of considerable interest to folks like us. We are concerned, and active, and come together to develop Solutions. I'm fairly certain that the people here will agree that it is reckless and counter-productive to make such public pronouncements.

My first reaction, after my pulse and blood pressure returned to normal, was - is there any Documentation that the Trump Campaign  has, or can get, to substantiate such an over-the-top claim? I think I recall 1 or 2 instances where  VA Patients Conditions worsened, eventually leading to death, while they were on Waiting Lists. In each case, I believe, these Patients were found to be in Terminal Condition, and having to wait 3 or 4 days for an appointment to be seen by a Doctor would not have made a difference. I believe,in one instance at least, the Patient had been evaluated by a Primary Care Physician and had to wait several days, ( 8-10 Days?), to see a Specialist. 

As dreadful and disappointing these instances may be, it is a far cry from 'Vets dying, waiting in line 5 or 6 days to see a Doctor'. Those of us concerned and involved with this type of situations tend to examine Documentation/Data when reviewing the circumstances of these incidents. Our intention, I believe, is to get an accurate picture of the situation, engage in discussion,exchange information and ideas, in order to propose possible solutions. I think that Donald Trump's careless rants about this situation are an insult to the dedicated professional employees of the Veteran Administration. I think that his pronouncements are annoying and disappointing to people who are concerned with actual solutions to these challenges.

Furthermore, I was extremely disappointed that no one I saw in the Media, (CNN/MSNBC),  challenged Trump on these dramatic and controversial comments. I understand that the News Media is today more focused on events in Turkey and France. That said, I believe if these News Outlets spend a great deal of time and attention in promoting coverage of this speech, and then suspending coverage  of other events in order to provide full-coverage, then perhaps they owe some degree of responsibility to challenge overly-dramatic, dysfunctional hyperbole against the U.S. Veterans Administration.

Other useless and possibly even Libelous Comments that went unchallenged were this fairy-tale of 'The Wall', and his pronouncement that Hillary Clinton was 'Guilty of Murder, and should be in jail..'. The focus of the commentary in review of this event was more concerned with the actual Politics, and effects on the Presidential Campaign.

Mr. Trump also had some provocative and insulting remarks about The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accusing them in effect, of 'free-loading' off the U.S. Military Protection there. Coincidentally, Saudi Arabia foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir is in Washington D.C today for a meeting at The White House. CNN's Wolf Blitzer hosted al-Jubeir for an interview in which the Foreign Minister was diplomatically dismissive of Trump's comments.The discussion, however, took most of CNN's Air-Time for the Trump Story.

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New CT Tech from CEP

CEP, a Counter-Terror Technology and Policy Group, has developed a new tool to fight on-line Terrorist proliferation on popular social platforms.

From CEP Site:
"The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, international policy organization formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideologies. Led by a renowned group of former world leaders and diplomats it combats extremism by pressuring financial and material support networks; countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment; and advocating for smart laws, policies, and regulations."

The new product will serve to work to combat extremists’ online presence:

h-project-unveils-technology-combat-online-extremism

Nice, France. Dreadful. Avoidable ? 

Vehicle Borne Attack

Could the dreadful events of Nice possibly been foreseen ? Tragically;The Answer for Emergency/Security Planners  is Yes. This is the 3rd ‘Major Attack ,’ at Least 12th Incident in France in 18 Months. France itself has become a Soft Target.

ISIS has urged  for Lone Operators to - ‘Use a rock, a gun, a vehicle…’, whatever you can get your hands on, to Attack Infidels. So, we do indeed have the information we need to make our next set of decisions. How then, do we go about, making our 'Next Set of Decisions' ? Most unfortunately, Nice highlights some very fundamental answers.

In an interview on MSNBC  last night Counter-Terror Expert Malcolm Nance mentioned some CT Basics: Suicide Vehicle-Borne Attack, and Point of Failure.

Project Planners, of whatever variety, need to ask some very basic questions - What is our Goal ? What do we need to do to achieve our Goal ? In Emergency/Security/CT Management the task becomes to parse these questions to specific Need:  

Who/What are we Defending? What does it look like ? How does it work ? Has this been done before ? What does it look like ? How does it Work ?

This then, gives us the Information to proceed. What are we Defending Against ? - Identify the Threat. We repeat the process - What does That look like ? How does It work ? Has this been done before? This leads to Identification and Assignment of Specific Tasks.

All good Planing asks This Question - What  If that fails? What is Plan'B'? Plan 'C' ? For Emergency Planners, Plan 'C' can be a very tragic place. If the Attack has defeated Plan 'A', Plan 'B', ('Point of Failure'), we are usually at the point of Mass Causality Incident Management. Back to Basics - What is our Goal ? What do need to achieve our Goal ? What does it Look like? How does it Work ? And of course- What if That fails...?

As Mr. Nance noted, the most urgent Failure in Nice occurred when the Attack Vehicle quickly and easily defeated a flimsy Traffic Control Barrier. When that occurred, Mass Causality Plan Implementation was inevitable. Is it too much to ask, that given the nature of the event, the threat-level, and recent previous attacks, that more secure Vehicle-Defense Barriers should have been present?

Those unfamiliar with Defense/Emergency Planning could easily view this as '2nd Guessing', or 'Armchair Quarterbacking'. Those of us involved in the work know; This is What We Do: Post- Incident Analysis. What Worked ? What Failed? How can we apply this Information to our own Needs ?

Any Plan is only as good as its Implementation. Assurance of Implementation is achieved through the previously mentioned Identification of  and Assignment of specific Tasks. The formula to achieve the hoped-for success at this point includes Outcome Measures: Identification and Evaluation of progress/failure toward successful achievement of previously Identified Outcomes. During the time of Operation, Supervision means continuous Monitoring of Plan Compliance, and Identification of, and Solution of Failures in Plan Compliance.

Lest anyone think I'm giving away too much here, I wholeheartedly assure you that this is how our Enemies Operate their Plans. 

7/9/16   J.R.W.
Mid-East Conflict Made Easy Simple
The World’s a busy place. Life’s a busy place. Business is a busy place. So it’s entirely understandable that you, (or more accurately, I), may not be completely caught up on the finer details of The Mid-East Conflict.
Fortunately for folks like us, (me), there are people like Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, “ISIS-Inside the Army of Terror”, and Richard Engel, ‘’And Then All Hell Broke Loose”. I don’t intend this to be a Book Review, other than to say each of these Works is insightful, immensely helpful, as well as masterfully written, and that the Authors are each brilliant, courageous, and thoroughly skilled in their craft.
I am also a huge fan of agencies and services like the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs, as well as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. I announce this in introduction lest anyone come to the conclusion that I’ve examined the Mid-East Conflict, and come to my own conclusions. Well, I have, somewhat. But it’s all the result of hard work by folks much smarter, (and more hard-working), than I.
The current turmoil in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and recently Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, Orlando, etc.… involving the aforementioned countries as well as Iran, Saudi Arabia, U.S.A, Russia et al., can be traced to an animosity, several thousand years old between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Of course, it’s not all that quite simple, there are a variety of mitigating circumstances that include Anti-Semitism, and hatred of Christians and Western Imperialist, Capitalist Empires. But Sunni v. Shia Islam acrimony is at the core of today’s Mid-East Mayhem.
You may have already known that, but perhaps you, like I, are not real clear on the precise details. I wondered why that if Sunni Oppression of Shiites in Iraq was the problem there, then why didn’t the Iraq war fix that problem?
 And if Majority- Shia Iran wanted the “Sunni Arab” Sadam Hussein deposed, why do those two places seem to be still very much at war? And if Hussein was, as he said he was, a “Sunni Arab”, why did the Sunni Arabs of al-Qaeda want him dead?
Also, if the Rulers of Syria are Shiite, why are so many Shia rooting for his departure from the planet? It’s all very confusing, I’m really quite busy with other things, and as long as it all stays ‘Over There’, then, I’m not overly concerned. 
Except: It’s not staying ‘Over There, it’s coming ‘Here’. And if it’s all too confusing, then all I need to do is give some time and attention to the likes of Weiss, Hassan, Engel and Amanpour. Also, I’m writing a Novel about a multi-pronged Terrorist Attack on NYC, so I really should know a thing or two about Terrorism. Enter the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs, PBS’s Frontline, and various other Mid-East Sources.
So, here’s the thing – After the Geo. W. Bush Administration launched its fallacious and poorly planned overthrow of Saddam, they then disbanded the largely Sunni Military, leaving Iraq without Defense against enemies Foreign and/or Domestic. Then the U.S. oversaw the election of a mostly Shiite National Government, which proceeded to annihilate Iraqi Sunnis. This infuriated Sunni Arabs far and wide, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was born. Unable to defend itself because among other things, the Iraqi Military had been disbanded, it fell to the invading occupying army, the U.S. and its scant and hastily assembled allies.
Unprepared and not particularly interested in that job, U.S./Allied Forces scrambled about Iraq, doing what they could, and would to contain the chaos. Being already committed to maintaining ever-more precarious control in Afghanistan, the U.S. Armed Forces were already stretched thin. When it became clear to Iraqi Shiites that they were being pretty much left to fend for themselves against marauding Sunni Forces, they formed Militia’s armed mostly with looted U.S. Weapons, and civil war ensued. The combat between Sunni and Shia continues to this day, by varying degrees and by various actors. We witness recent Sunni Jihadist Terror Attacks against the Iraqi Shiite populace and Government Sites.
Osama bin-Laden and al-Qaeda had been hoping to attack Sadam Hussein in Iraq because he was a secular, not Islamist Fundamentalist leader. Fortunately for bin-Laden and his Sunni Arab Jihadists, the U.S. and Geo. W. Bush deposed Hussein and disbanded the Iraqi Armed Forces.
Lately, Iraq Civil war has continued. With increasing U.S. Military support, the present Iraqi Government’s Armed Forces have been able to make substantial progress against Jihadist Combatants. Shia Iran would prefer a destabilized Iraq, to a secular, U.S. supported Government there, so War continues.
Now, on to Syria – I mistakenly assumed that because the Assad Regime, present and previous, was Shiite, things should remain subdued there. Wrong. It turns out that Syria has, according to various sources, an approximately %75 Sunni Muslim population. The brutally oppressive Assad Regime had been able, for a long time, to keep tight rein on all opponents. But as the Arab Spring saw the toppling of dominant rulers in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Iraq crumbled into Civil War, Syrian dissidents and foreign fighters were emboldened into open rebellion.
Also, it turns out that the Assad Tribe is the ‘wrong kind’ of Shia. They are Alawite, a minority Muslim Sect that is viewed by Shiites and Sunni alike as Apostate. Thereby worthy of the wrath of all Muslim Jihadists and Fundamentalists, and not entitled to any mainstream Muslim support. Thus, instability reigns. 
It has been noted in various observations that ISIS has exported its Terrorist atrocities abroad because of military defeats in the Iraq/Syria ‘Caliphate’. While this is probably true to a certain degree, it is not completely accurate. Long before ISIS and like-minded Jihadists suffered territorial losses, they were recruiting, training, equipping, ‘Combatants’ for Operations abroad, as well as planning attacks, and making logistic/tactical arrangements for such ‘Operations’.
See? Easy, I mean Simple. 

7/8/16 Dallas – Like most, my immediate reaction was shock, grief, despair, (see Previous…). But after watching and reading as many reports as I could, early into early Friday Morning, I fell asleep about 4:30 A.M.  I went to bed hearing about ‘Multiple-Snipers’, ‘Triangulating’ fire at Police Officers, and later in the day hearing – ‘No; it appears the Shooter acted alone’.

 I awoke about 2 hours later to a busy day which did not include much News contact. After 6:30 P.M. I began to see and hear about this ‘Lone Shooter’ Theory. Wait, What…? My initial reaction to that news was that we’d heard before, in Dallas, that in spite of what was first thought to be Multiple Shooters, was actually a Lone Gunman. It actually took me a few years, after lengthy investigation of all available material on the subject, to concede the possibility. To this day my opinion of the JFK Assassination in Dealy Plaza, (just a few blocks from Thursday Night’s tragedy), is – ‘well, maybe. I suppose’.

I understand that in ‘the fog of war’, rapid-fire from an automatic rifle echoing through the canyons of Downtown Dallas, multiple wounded and dead victims, a crowd of about 1,000 people screaming and fleeing in horror, could be mistaken for multiple shooters. I suppose.

There was the matter though, of the NY Times and other reliable News sources reporting that 3 other suspects had been ‘Arrested’ as part of the investigation. Then there came conflicting reports as to the status of these Suspects. Some sources said they had been cleared and released. Others reports stated they were still in Custody, while others said they had been released, but not ‘Cleared’ of any possible involvement.

On Friday Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown said that the primary suspect, Micah Johnson, a U.S. Army Afghanistan, Combat Trained Vet, was killed by a remotely-operated Explosive Device. Johnson had reportedly posted to FB, ties to The New Black Panther Party, and had promoted Violence against Whites and specifically Jews.

Police Chief Brown also stated that Micah Johnson had espoused further violence during the Police stand-off, and said ‘The end was near’, and that he’d planted Bombs around the Downtown Dallas vicinity. Chief Brown also reported that a search of Johnson’s residence had uncovered a variety of weapons, explosives, and Combat Gear.

As to further involvement by others, Brown said at the time, that he was ‘’not satisfied that we’ve exhausted every lead”, according to the NY Times. For his part, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings offered no comment regarding other suspects or on-going investigation.

So we end up with a Police Chief who’s not convinced the investigation is complete, a Mayor providing no further information, and a Suspect who was blown-up by a bomb.

So far, we’ve once again been presented by Texas Law Enforcement and Civil Authorities with an opportunity to draw our own conclusions. What could possibly go wrong?

One conclusion is clear. As stated by former Secretary Hillary Clinton, (like her or not), - ‘Too many people are dead who shouldn’t be’. Including Black American Victims of Police Violence, and Law Enforcement Officers in Service to their communities. Dreadful.  

07/7/16
Dreadful doings in Dallas This Day. I was already completely saddened by the Police Shootings that occurred in the previous 48hrs.  
Then, at a peaceful protest, where Protestors and Police appeared to be getting along just fine, Murder and Mayhem. Insanity. Horror and Grief. When will it All End ? God Help Us. 
God Bless Those Who Serve, and Those Who Mourn, All.