Posse Incitatus

Federal Bunglers & Incompetents

The FBI has done it again. This agency that has had so many failed leaders, so much internal rot, and such a long track record of failures and partisan shenanigans, has embarrassed itself with its initial public statement following the conclusion of a weekend hostage taking incident at a Texas synagogue.

A British National of Pakistani descent took four people hostage in Colleyville, Texas, located in the Dallas-Forth Worth metro area. He demanded the release from prison of his sister, Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of attempting to kill U.S. Army personnel in Afghanistan. The perpetrator claimed he had placed bombs in the building and would detonate them should a rescue attempt be made.

A SWAT team responded, and details are still unclear, but the hostages escaped unharmed and the suspect is dead from a gunshot. Hmm, let's see here: A Muslim jihadist, a Jewish place of worship... Sounds like a no-brainer to me. Yet an FBI spokesman, special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno, refused to identify the suspect in a news conference.

"The Texas synagogue hostage taker's demands were specifically focused on issues not connected to the Jewish community," DeSarno said. Really?

After ferocious blowback from Jewish groups, the hostages themselves, and a good portion of the media, the FBI relented. A followup statement Sunday night said, in part, "This is a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted, and is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Preventing acts of terrorism and violence is the number one priority of the FBI." 

The FBI's paranoid obsession with the white racist bogeyman who wants to overthrow the government  (i.e., white Trump voters, in the agency's thinking), was combined with an uber-PC sensitivity toward Muslims. They were afraid of offending Muslim Americans and triggering a wave of Islamophobia (that's another concocted threat that is not nearly as great as it was made out to be). 

Authorities were aware of the suspect; he was alleged to have had ties to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. So how in the world did this guy obtain a visa to fly in to the United States a few weeks ago? I guess the gatekeepers were too busy monitoring those scary, scruffy white guys in camouflage fatigues who have a flagpole outside their barn waving the Trump and "Don't Tread on Me" flags as they take target practice with their AR-15s. 

Keep in mind, this is the same agency that allowed Maj. Nidal Hasan to visit jihadist websites on Army computers at Fort Hood, Texas, AND send menacing emails full of threatening language. It would have been "insensitive" to question him about it. But obviously, not nearly as insensitive as 13 people being killed, and dozens more wounded. In one of the most idiotic PC moves I've ever witnessed, the Army dubbed the murderous rampage "workplace violence."

More recently, we've seen the FBI fall lock, stock and barrel for the Democrats' concocted Russian collusion hoax, with some FBI agents (e.g., Peter Strzok, Lisa Page) abusing their use of government-owned devices to text each other about how much they despised then President Donald Trump. The FBI was part-and-parcel of the phony FISA warrants used to spy on the Trump campaign. Leaking of classified information was rampant during Trump's administration, and former FBI Director James Comey was one of numerous high profile intelligence officers appointed by former President Barack Obama who clearly lied under oath during congressional testimony.

Also on the egregious list, the FBI was investigating convicted child molester Dr. Larry Nassar for his abuse of female athletes. In 2015, several agents interviewed gymnasts who charged Nassar with violating them. The agents pretty much sat on the investigation for a year, failing to follow up and move it forward. Meanwhile, Nassar went on to abuse many more females before he was finally arrested in 2016.

Here in Michigan, the FBI appears to have its fingerprints on the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. This may well have been a false flag operation. The men charged with the plot claim that numerous FBI agents infiltrated their group and engaged in entrapment. One FBI agent, Richard Trask, was charged with domestic abuse (against his wife).

One doesn't need to be a news hound to realize that the FBI has an abysmal track record for dropping the ball and failing to prevent terrorist incidents from happening. Besides Fort Hood, there was 9/11, the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing of a federal office building, and many more failures.

The FBI is in such sad shape, it needs to be gutted -- stripped down to the studs, metaphorically speaking, and rebuilt from the ground up. I am reminded of a wretchedly corrupt organization involved in Democrat politics for decades -- ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). In 2008, ACORN was busted for fraudulent voter registration policies and for paying cash for votes (practices that had been going on for years). Federal funding was cut off, the U.S. Bureau of Census ended its contract with ACORN, and the IRS removed ACORN from its voluntary tax assistance program.

At some point, the dam breaks, and even former sympathizers will sheepishly admit they were deceived. There can be a point where admitting past mistakes and gullibility is clearly preferential to attempting to defend the indefensible. 

When does the FBI dam break? Not sure, but cracks certainly are developing in the concrete.

Reflecting on MLK's Legacy

In recent years, I have written numerous blogs on MLK Day to laud the civil rights leader and point out how some of his qualities -- being a Christian minister whose beliefs stemmed from scripture, being a gun owner and striver toward a color-blind society -- fly in the face of today's progressive left.

I have acknowledged that there really was discrimination and racism in American society in the 1960s, but it was beginning to crumble by that time. Contrast that with today, when the United States offers more opportunity and potential for prosperity to blacks than any other country in the world. Yet the Marxists on the left try to shove a phony "systemic racism" narrative down our throats, and peddle lies about police being racists who believe it's open season on black people. They don't want a color-blind society; they favor discrimination against whites, even though they try to wrap it up in Critical Race Theory and other leftist creeds.

The left also won't acknowledge that trillions of dollars spent on the so-called Great Society have not done much good. The root of the problems plaguing black America is that about 70 percent of blacks are born out of wedlock. When there is no father to serve as a disciplinarian, role model and mentor, young black men often go astray. It's a national tragedy, but it's not the Republicans' fault. You can't blame the KKK, Donald Trump or white Christian males. That's part of what makes progressives so full of rage.

I hate to bring up this last point, but I must. For years, we have heard about plenty of immoral activities in which King engaged. Marital infidelities are bad enough, albeit commonplace among high profile politicians and religious leaders. But King biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Garrow wrote that King engaged in even worse activities than we had ever been led to believe.

Garrow is renowned for his thorough, diligent research. Among his allegations: King engaged in sex orgies, encouraged a minister in the church to commit a rape, and accepted cash payments from communists.

Said Garrow: "There is no question that a profoundly painful reckoning and reconsideration inescapably awaits." Indeed. It will be interesting to observe whether the SJW puritans (veterans of #MeToo and the cancel culture) will begin demonizing MLK like they have the Founding Fathers. Will they demand that Uncle Sam remove MLK Day as a holiday? Doubtful.

King, like all humans, was a complex and flawed individual. He certainly is not the paragon of virtue he's been made out to be. Perhaps the one lesson we can learn as the ugly truth comes out about King's bad qualities is that it is unwise to accept a groupthink narrative when someone is lionized to an unreasonable and extreme level -- to the point where anyone who dares object is himself ostracized, threatened and canceled.

But then, asking progressives to be reasonable and rational may be asking too much.

The left also won't acknowledge that trillions of dollars spent on the so-called Great Society have not done much good. The root of the problems plaguing black America is that about 70 percent of blacks are born out of wedlock. When there is no father to serve as a disciplinarian, role model and mentor, young black men often go astray. It's a national tragedy, but it's not the Republicans' fault. You can't blame the KKK, Donald Trump or white Christian males. That's part of what makes progressives so full of rage.

I hate to bring up this last point, but I must. For years, we have heard about plenty of immoral activities in which King engaged. Marital infidelities are bad enough, albeit commonplace among high profile politicians and religious leaders. But King biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Garrow wrote that King engaged in even worse activities than we had ever been led to believe.

Garrow is renowned for his thorough, diligent research. Among his allegations: King engaged in sex orgies, encouraged a minister in the church to commit a rape, and accepted cash payments from communists.

Said Garrow: "There is no question that a profoundly painful reckoning and reconsideration inescapably awaits." Indeed. It will be interesting to observe whether the SJW puritans (veterans of #MeToo and the cancel culture) will begin demonizing MLK like they have the Founding Fathers. Will they demand that Uncle Sam remove MLK Day as a holiday? Doubtful.

King, like all humans, was a complex and flawed individual. He certainly is not the paragon of virtue he's been made out to be. Perhaps the one lesson we can learn as the ugly truth comes out about King's bad qualities is that it is unwise to accept a groupthink narrative when someone is lionized to an unreasonable and extreme level -- to the point where anyone who dares object is himself ostracized, threatened and canceled.

But then, asking progressives to be reasonable and rational may be asking too much.

The left also won't acknowledge that trillions of dollars spent on the so-called Great Society have not done much good. The root of the problems plaguing black America is that about 70 percent of blacks are born out of wedlock. When there is no father to serve as a disciplinarian, role model and mentor, young black men often go astray. It's a national tragedy, but it's not the Republicans' fault. You can't blame the KKK, Donald Trump or white Christian males. That's part of what makes progressives so full of rage.

I hate to bring up this last point, but I must. For years, we have heard about plenty of immoral activities in which King engaged. Marital infidelities are bad enough, albeit commonplace among high profile politicians and religious leaders. But King biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Garrow wrote that King engaged in even worse activities than we had ever been led to believe.

Garrow is renowned for his thorough, diligent research. Among his allegations: King engaged in sex orgies, encouraged a minister in the church to commit a rape, and accepted cash payments from communists.

Said Garrow: "There is no question that a profoundly painful reckoning and reconsideration inescapably awaits." Indeed. It will be interesting to observe whether the SJW puritans (veterans of #MeToo and the cancel culture) will begin demonizing MLK like they have the Founding Fathers. Will they demand that Uncle Sam remove MLK Day as a holiday? Doubtful.

King, like all humans, was a complex and flawed individual. He certainly is not the paragon of virtue he's been made out to be. Perhaps the one lesson we can learn as the ugly truth comes out about King's bad qualities is that it is unwise to accept a groupthink narrative when someone is lionized to an unreasonable and extreme level -- to the point where anyone who dares object is himself ostracized, threatened and canceled.

But then, asking progressives to be reasonable and rational may be asking too much.

Some More Impressive Pushback

I thought about using the headline "Praise the Politican, Part II," but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Once is enough. With that being said, I am impressed with a floor speech given the other day by the normally underwhelming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Someone else whom I would normally not praise is Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, a longtime Trump hater who admittedly voted for Barack Obama twice and also for China Joe. In this weekend's WSJ column, "Biden's Georgia Speech is a Breaking Point," she quoted some of Sleepy Joe's more egregious statements and also excerpted from McConnell's pointed reply, which she labeled "stinging, indignant to the point of seething."

McConnell castigated Biden for his bitterly partisan and divisive remarks in which he implied that opponents to federalizing elections are dangerous, racist bigots who wish to return us to the bad old days of Jim Crow, discrimination and segregation. The Senate Minority Leader also upbraided the Democrats' desire to do away with the filibuster, which would destroy the purpose and role of the Senate as laid out by the Founding Fathers.

"The Framers built the Senate to protect against exactly the sort of inaccurate, irresponsible bullying which the President shouted at the country yesterday," he said. "His reckless speech was the perfect case study for the importance of the Senate and its rules."

As Ms. Noonan pointed out, Biden's over-the-top rant went so far as to mention villians such as George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis. This is downright clownish stuff.

"The president’s Tuesday speech in Atlanta, on voting rights, was a disaster for him," she wrote, noting that Biden may have unwittingly served to unify Republicans and conservatives who had been at odds regarding whether Donald Trump should run for president in 2024.  

Check out McConnell's butt-kicking rebuttal, and it will give you hope for the future. I also tip my hat to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who ingeniously quoted a 2005 speech from Sen. Chuck Schumer in which the New Yorker eloquently defended the filibuster -- when George W. Bush was president and Republicans controlled the Senate.

“[T]he nuclear option is being pushed largely by the radioactive rhetoric of a small band of radicals who hold in their hands the political fortunes of the President..." (Not so sure that was true in 2005, but it sure is now!)

Sen. Cotton continued, “The bottom line is very simple: the ideologues in the Senate want to turn what the Founding Fathers called the cooling saucer of democracy into the rubber stamp of dictatorship. … They want to make this country into a banana republic where if you don’t get your way, you change the rules! Are we going to let them? It will be a doomsday for democracy if we do."  Well said, Senator Schumer Cotton.

My only problem with Sen. Schumer's 2005 statement is that he, like most Democrats, used the word "democracy." I swear, there must be 50 million Democrats who don't know the difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic.

The point is this: We are now seeing signs of life among the Republicans. We're noticing a fierce desire to counteract the extreme power-grabbing moves and caustic rhetoric of the left. Not only is their intensity impressive; the GOP messaging has great substance. 

On a related note, it is also highly encouraging that the ratings for leftist propaganda network CNN have gone in the toilet big-time. Without Donald Trump to kick around (most of their viewers are addicted to hating Trump like a junkie is to heroin), their drivel just isn't worth watching.

The New York Post reports the Communist News Network suffered a shocking 90 percent decline in viewership for the week ending Jan. 3 compared to one year earlier, averaging just 548,000 viewers. That's right: 548,000 viewers in a nation of 330 million people.

I suspect it's not just because their content sucks and they're chock-full of dim bulbs like Brian Stelter and Don Lemon; it's also because millions of people are repulsed by the moral depravity and incompetency of so many of CNN's reprehensible staff -- starting with the execrable Jeff Zucker at the top. A few days ago we learned that a second CNN producer -- Rick Saleeby -- also faces sexual assault charges.

The Posse commented on the CNN cesspool a few weeks ago, in part of a post with the heading, "The Wheels Are Coming Off at CNN."

Good times for schadenfreude! Maybe I need to invent a new cocktail and raise a glass. Forget the Old Fashioned or the Tom Collins. Have a Schadenfreude on me!

Mass Formation Psychosis

Long before social media or even the Internet were around, I used to complain about the sensationalism and group-think of the mainstream media. Back in the days when newspapers and magazines were far more prominent and digital news hadn't been invented, the reporters of these publications often displayed a "run with the pack" mentality.

If the New York Times, Washington Post, or big three TV networks covered a story and made a big deal out of it,  hundreds of papers across the land would jump on the bandwagon and go hog wild regurgitating the story. Frankly, they often made mountains out of molehills in their zeal to rile people up and sell papers. Much of what they printed was just warmed over versions (e.g., Associated Press copy) of previous stories. They would create narratives that, in those days, were often hard to debunk.

The hyperventilating was really too much, but eventually the media vermin would tire of a story (or possibly secretly acknowledge that the story didn't really amount to much), and drop it like a hot potato, only to rush on to the next "shining object" that was ripe for exploitation and sensationalism.

Fast forward several decades, and this run-with-the-pack parroting has grown worse with the Internet and social media. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube censor those who dare to dispute the accepted narrative, no matter how great their qualifications and how impressive their intelligence. Add in the toxic effects of cancel culture and indoctrination at universities (you either accept the group-think or you'll be demonized or cast out), and it takes a hell of a lot of courage to go against the grain.

Dr. Robert Malone, a pioneer of the mRNA vaccine (he claims to be the inventor, but that is disputed) coined the term "mass formation psychosis" to describe the sort of mass hypnotization of the people when the propaganda steamroller -- government/Big Tech/mainstream media/social media/woke corporations/academia/foundations -- all check their brains and critical thinking at the door and join in with the cult-like mantra.

It's what happened early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who didn't believe the Coronavirus originated with a bat in a wet market, but may have come from a lab instead, were mocked, censored and harshly criticized. Anyone who objected to heavy-handed lockdowns or questioned whether masks were effective was labeled anti-science and ridiculed as if they were from the flat earth society. Proponents of treatments such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin were dismissed as "fringe doctors" or written off as kooks.

Dr. Malone is adamantly opposed to giving the vaccine to children because it can have destructive effects such as myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation); also because children are much less likely to contract and spread Coronavirus, and their symptoms tend to be milder. Dr. Malone is extremely harsh about Pfizer, calling the company "a criminal organization" for its past lawless activity, including bribing physicians (the company pleaded guilty and paid large fines).

Dr. Malone and many other respected epidemiologists and public health scientists signed the Great Barrington Declaration, which states that vaccine mandates and lockdowns did not make sense, and indeed may be downright counterproductive. The declaration opposes many of the policies that have been enacted throughout the world since the pandemic began nearly two years ago, stresses the need for "focused protection" (concentrating on those most at risk), and explains the many drawbacks to widespread lockdowns, including isolated, alienated and depressed K-12 students susceptible to alcohol, drugs and suicide, as well as patients delaying treatments or surgeries that could be life-saving.

For those who are interested, Dr. Malone granted a couple of interesting and entertaining interviews to Michael Savage earlier this month (his podcasts are available for free at MichaelSavage.com).

These days, it's a badge of honor to have been kicked off Twitter, as Dr. Malone was. This is the same platform, after all, that censored the Hunter Biden laptop story just days before the presidential election, and bans Donald Trump, but allows all manner of Islamic jihadists from Iran and other countries to spew vile anti-Semitism and terroristic threats. Joe Rogan recently interviewed Dr. Malone, and his podcast appears on Spotify. Wouldn't you know it: The fascist left is going after Spotify with a vengeance. The totalitarianism worsens by the day.

We need a lot more Dr. Robert Malones in this world full of brain-dead conformists and indoctrinated lemmings who love their group-think but are utterly incapable of having an honest debate to defend their beliefs.

Praise the Politician!

It's not like me to praise a politician. Most of them are self-serving, uber-egotists who let us down far too often. Many are pathological liars and/or crooked as a corkscrew. So today's headline may be disconcerting to some, but let me explain...

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio gave a dynamite speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. It was a thorough, factual takedown of the Democrat nonsense about voter suppression, Jim Crow and fabulist bunk about an "insurrection" that was as serious as 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. 

He ripped into Biden's destructive policies such as the open southern border, the attempt to federalize elections, the DOJ threatening to go after parents at school board meetings, and efforts to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations. He highlighted consequences of Biden administration policies such as high inflation, firings of unvaccinated employees, and empty store shelves. Sen. Rubio also expressed outrage that many Democrats and their media stooges try to portray all Republicans and conservatives as racists and dangerous threats to the republic.

I encourage Posse readers to click on the link and check out the speech on the senator's web page. The transcript also includes an embedded link to the YouTube video. (I'm surprised the leftists at that platform haven't taken down his video!)

Rubio's speech, being factual, logical and rational, probably won't resonate with Democrats, whose thinking is guided by emotion, imagery, idealism and feelings. But it will most likely hit the nail on the head with conservatives, longtime Republicans and many independents.

Sen. Rubio's speech was so good, in fact, that it ought to serve as a template for Republican candidates across the nation. A frequent criticism of Republicans by many conservatives, myself included, is that they are poor communicators -- horrible at messaging. They often miss golden opportunities to slam dunk on Democrats and low-IQ media vermin. They're inarticulate, unfocused, undisciplined, and this has literally cost them control of Congress and the White House.

If only Donald Trump could have had a better filter, kept some remarks to himself, avoided thinking out loud, and resisted taking the media bait that would send him down fruitless, time-wasting rabbit holes, he would be serving his second term right now. But that's like saying, if only I were 6'8" rather than 5'8", I might have been a whale of a basketball player. Or if only I had been born to a Silicon Valley tycoon, I wouldn't be driving a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. You get the drift.

Glenn Youngkin stuck to a disciplined message and did not allow the media slugs to bait him. He spoke directly to the irate people of Virginia about issues that concerned them. He did not talk down to them or try to impress them with B.S. He seemed like a friend sitting across from you at coffee and donuts following Mass. We need a lot more of that in politics, but unfortunately, I'm afraid we won't get it.

The Bill Maher Benchmark, Part II

Last June, I posted about longtime leftist comedian Bill Maher suddenly sounding reasonable in relation to today's loony left. He stated his objections to Critical Race Theory and challenged its bogus allegations. On numerous other issues, including pandemic policies such as lockdowns and school closures, Maher has clashed with conventional liberal narratives. He defended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and criticized former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which takes lots of courage since leftists can come at you like a rabid dog if you dare disagree with their views.

Well, I am going to give kudos once again to Mr. Maher, who seems to be making more sense and gaining wisdom as time goes by. Recently, Maher pointed out that, while he believes it's totally reasonable to hate Donald Trump, it is utterly unreasonable and a huge mistake to feel contempt and loathing for all of Trump's supporters. "That's half the country," he said. He acknowledged that late-night comedians are overwhelmingly liberal, and stated a superiority complex is liberals' "Achilles Heel."

"You can’t set yourself up as some sort of superior moral paragon, because this is your political belief, and somebody else has another one,” he said in an interview with the news organization AL.com. “There are obviously areas where, yes, if somebody’s advocating cannibalism, I think you can claim the moral high ground if you’re anti. I feel like that’s the Achilles heel of the left right now. They identify issues mostly by what they can feel superior to another person for.”

Maher stated political correctness is the enemy of comedy, and he maintains there are liberals who are not extreme "woke" liberals. (I'm not so certain I agree, but who's to say.)

Maher still has plenty of flaws, granted. He still refers to Jan. 6 as an "insurrection," often is condescending toward conservatives and people of faith, and he maintains the left's rigid, reflexive hatred of Trump.

But he's showing he's not a total left-wing cyborg by acknowledging that his side of the divide has its own major flaws. (I'd have to agree with him on separating a politician or political party from individuals. I have relatives, coworkers and neighbors whom I know are Democrats and Biden supporters, but I still get along with them -- in large part because we just don't talk politics, but also because we acknowledge each other's positive traits and actually have politics-free conversations.

Now, it's quite possible Maher made his statements sheerly to protect his bottom line. After all, there are conservatives who pay to see his performances, and why should he alienate them if he wants to maximize his earnings? Recall Michael Jordan's response when a fellow liberal inquired as to why Jordan didn't take a more vocal stance on social justice issues. He said something to the effect of, "Hey, conservatives buy tennis shoes, too." Indeed.

So who knows what, exactly, is going through Maher's head. But it's a start anyway. In our present sad state, we'll take whatever we can get.