Brian

[Brian @sloppyBA]

@infantrydort

[Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson]

When I was the Air Force Military Aide to Bill Clinton (and again, that was not a political appointee position, it was a military assignment), I served daily with very young staffers who were appointed because of their efforts in the campaign or who their parents were.

I really enjoyed interacting with most of them. Bright kids from Ivy League school. But their naïveté and lack of experience showed. Dramatically.

One day I was walking across the White House “campus,” the “18 acres,” and I encountered one of the young female staffers. We chatted for a bit, and she asked me, “So, why did you join the military? Were your career options limited or were you forced to by a judge?”

I wanted to throat punch her, but I said, “No, ma’am, I volunteered.”

She asked, “But why? Lack of education? No other options?”

“No, ma’am, I volunteered. Really. Not only do I have a Bachelor’s but also an MBA.”

She asked again, “Then why?”

I shook my head and walked away. They simply can’t understand a higher calling. They are incapable of understanding that another human who would selflessly serve.

Therein lies much of the Democrat vs. military disconnect. They’re missing the patriotism chip.

[End Wokeness @EndWokeness]

Decline is a choice. Remember that.

[Dustin @r0ck3t23]

Elon Musk just defended America better than every politician in Washington combined.

Musk: “After World War 2, the US could have basically taken over the world and any country. Like we got nukes, nobody else got nukes. We don’t even have to lose soldiers. Which country do you want?”

One nation on earth held a weapon nobody else had.

Total dominance. Zero competition. No risk of retaliation.

Every empire in history that held that kind of advantage used it.

Rome. The Mongols. The British. The Ottomans.

They conquered until they collapsed.

America had a bigger advantage than all of them combined.

And it rebuilt the countries it just defeated.

Musk: “The United States actually helped rebuild countries. So it helped rebuild Europe, it helped rebuild Japan. This is very unusual behavior, almost unprecedented.”

Almost unprecedented?

It had never happened before. Not once in 5,000 years of recorded history.

The Marshall Plan wasn’t foreign aid.

It was the most radical act of restraint any superpower ever committed.

America turned its enemies into allies. Turned rubble into economies. Turned surrender into partnership.

Germany went from ashes to the economic engine of Europe in a generation.

Japan went from unconditional surrender to the third largest economy on earth.

Three years after the war, America was flying food into Berlin.

A city in the heart of the nation that just tried to destroy it.

That’s not policy.

That’s a civilization deciding what it is at the exact moment it has the power to be anything.

You’re being told a story right now.

That America is the villain of history.

You hear it everywhere. Media. Universities. Social platforms.

Musk: “There’s always like, well America’s done bad things. Well of course America’s done bad things, but one needs to look at the whole track record.”

Every nation on earth has dark chapters. Every single one.

The difference is what a country does when nobody can stop it.

And when nobody could stop America, it fed its enemies and rebuilt their cities.

Musk: “The history of China suggests that China is not acquisitive. Meaning they’re not going to go out and invade a whole bunch of countries.”

Probably right.

China has historically built walls, not fleets.

But the real question isn’t about borders anymore.

We’re approaching a moment that mirrors 1945 in ways nobody has fully processed yet.

AI is going to give a handful of people a power advantage that makes nuclear monopoly look quaint.

If someone is going to hold that kind of power, who do you want it to be?

The country that conquered when it could? Or the one that rebuilt when it didn’t have to?

Every alliance. Every trade route. Every economy.

Billions lifted out of poverty.

All of it traces back to one act of restraint that had never been done before.

And carries no guarantee of being repeated.

The most powerful thing America ever did wasn’t building the bomb.

It was what it didn’t do after.

[Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius]

Allow me to explain the difference between a Loyal American and Senator Mark Kelly (D-Sedition).

When confronted by "journalist" Margaret Brennan, a Loyal American says the following:

"Margaret, I can neither confirm nor deny the stock status of America's most sophisticated precision munitions. That information is classified, and I am therefore duty bound to not publicly divulge such information. Know this, however: we in the Senate are working closely with the Department of War to protect America's national security."

But Senator Mark Kelly (D-Sedition) instead decided to say this about our sophisticated precision munitions:

". . . it’s shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines.”

Prosecute.

[Turning Point USA @TPUSA]

STUDENT: “I am legally Canadian… What would you say to people who live in America, who are legal immigrants, who are working hard and really want to become American, but have watched for many years illegal immigrants get free handouts?”

@RealTomHoman’s response:

[Troy Frasier AKA Revived Studios @RevivedThoughts]

The amount of self-hate Americans have towards their own history is truly unreal.

They defeated slavery by fighting against their own family.
They shut Europe out of the western hemisphere so that nations wouldn't live under colonization forever.
They had the ability to stay out of world war 1 but they went and died to help Europeans.
They had the ultimate power in the nuclear bomb. They also had access to all of Europe's colonies that were in shambles. But instead they promoted freedom. They rebuilt Japan and Germany after defeating them in war. They stood down the Soviet Union, even as the world jeered them.
They sent soldiers to places like Vietnam and Afghanistan that died TRYING to create a better world (even if you disagree with those wars, the intentions were fairly good)
And they sent more missionaries to the world than maybe any other country in history. Translated more Bibles into indigenous languages than any other country in history. Ran bigger charities than any other country in history. Created more Christian resources than any other country in history.

Whether it was stopping the Dutch from reconquering Indonesia to the Berlin Airlift to giving Cuba its freedom in the Spanish-American war to saving China from the Japanese America has at least ATTEMPTED to do good with its power.

Yes yes, America has problems. People are imperfect. But goodness gracious does the world have a lot to be grateful for in America. And when we could have taken SO much from the world we have often chosen not to. Rome, Britain, Mongols, Assyrians, Soviets, Chinese, no other group has ever shown the restraint America has consistently shown with such vast power at its fingertips.

We didn't even get into the GIGANTIC technological advances, consumer advances, convenient lifestyle changes America has pioneered. From electricity to space to the light bulb to the smart phone to many cures in medicine and agriculture to the airplane the world has been enormously blessed by America.

[Jesús Enrique Rosas @Knesix]

Here’s what drives people nuts on both sides: Trump is not the cartoon character. Not the genius his fans worship, not the idiot his critics need him to be.

He's just a stubborn, calculating guy who creates chaos the way a magician creates misdirection. While you’re distracted watching the fireworks, he’s already three iterations ahead with furious execution.

And he doesn’t bluff the way people think he bluffs. He just couldn't care less about the part of diplomacy where everyone pretends to be polite while lying to each other’s faces. He skips that step entirely, which looks unhinged if you’re used to the old choreography but is genuinely disorienting if you’re the guy on the other side of the table who had a whole manipulation strategy mapped out.

Iran found this out the hard way.

What gets lost in so much noise is that Trump doesn’t actually want war. He sees it as the ugly price tag on a bigger purchase. His math on Iran is cold but not complicated: ninety million people living between poverty and the lower middle class, ruled by an elite whose entire business model depends on keeping them there.

The nukes were the urgent priority, but his bet is that removing the lid will let Iranians rebuild the way Germany did after the rubble cleared. You can argue whether that math checks out, but it’s not the reasoning of someone who just wants to watch things explode.

Obviously, Iran isn’t the only file on his desk. Venezuela already got the treatment. Cuba’s probably next. Syria hasn’t been forgotten either, no matter how quiet things look. By this point, few should be surprised that he circles back to unfinished business with the patience of a guy who knows he’s holding better cards and just needs to wait for overconfidant tyrants to overplay theirs.

The part his opponents keep getting wrong is treating “Make America Great Again” like a bumper sticker.

Wrong.

It’s a *doctrine* now. It has always been.

Whether you love it or find it terrifying, MAGA is the very operating system behind his relentless drive. This not just some random pixellated banner which will fade away in the next couple presidential terms.

Nah, this is the right stuff that will outlast the man who built it.

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

The War on the United States of America is the most illogical conflict in Human History.

We are living in a strange era where anti-Americanism is the cheapest currency for popularity. Whether in Asia, the Middle East, or the Sahel, the fastest way to win a crowd is to burn a flag or blame Washington.

But past the rhetoric, the obsession with seeing America fail isn't just misguided, it's completely illogical.

People love to trash the U.S, but they trust its systems with their lives. Name another superpower where a former President can be held accountable in a court of law.

The world's money flows through New York because the rules are transparent. Even the most vocal anti-imperialist dictators keep their personal wealth in USD. They know it's the only currency backed by a system that won't vanish overnight.

While other nations cycle through coups, juntas, and eternal leaders every few decades, America has maintained peaceful handovers of power for a quarter of a millennium. That institutional stability is the foundation for everything else, the wealth, the innovation, and the freedom.

The world's anti-Americans are currently using American tech iPhone/Android on American platforms X, Meta, Google to post their anti-American views.

From NASA touching the stars to Silicon Valley defining the future of AI, America remains decades ahead. The energy spent hating this progress is energy wasted avoiding the truth that, America is the engine of human milestone.

Everyone poses as anti-American until the music starts or the movie plays. The icons, the films, the NBA, the NFL, American pop culture is the global tongue. It is the only place where the American Dream isn't just a slogan, but a reality for the millions of immigrants who continue to flock there.

The most tragic irony is almost every anti-American figure in history has a secret link to the West. They send their children to Ivy League schools, use American medicine, and consume American luxury. They sell "The West is Evil" to their citizens while enjoying the fruits of the West in private.

Organizations are being formed and billions spent with one goal which is, to beat America.

Imagine if that energy was spent on building domestic systems that actually worked. Imagine if the focus was on innovation instead of imitation and resentment. You cannot defeat a system that you are simultaneously dependent on.

The world loves the fruits of America but hates the tree. Hating the U.S. doesn't make a nation stronger, it just makes it blind to why its own systems are failing.

America isn't just a country, it's the most successful experiment in human history. The results speak for themselves.

[Sarah Adams @sarahadams]

In May 2011, Mark Kelly commanded the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-134, leading a crew of six astronauts including Gregory Johnson, Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel, and Roberto Vittori.

The crew was entirely male with six out of six members being men, and consisted of five Americans and one European astronaut from Italy representing the European Space Agency. Demographically, the crew was overwhelmingly white with no Black, Hispanic, or female astronauts represented on the mission.

Most members came from U.S. military backgrounds, particularly Navy and Air Force aviation.

So, yeah, he’s completely full of shit!

[Larry Elder @larryelder]

Elvis “the King” Presley; King Charles; LeBron “King” James; Nat “King” Cole; King Curtis; King Kong; Martin Luther King; Billy Jean King; Don King; Stephen King; Larry King; Sacramento Kings; Los Angeles Kings; King Crimson; King Tut; King Arthur; and, of course, Burger King.

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Millions Gather To Express Total Ignorance About Political System https://t.co/GhTx5QrOR8

[Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius]

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE:

Being a decorated combat veteran does not excuse anyone from being held to account for vile behavior he or she engaged in after leaving the service.

As a veteran, I can assure non-veterans of the fact that someone earning a Purple Heart long ago should not make you afraid to criticize such person's horrifically bad and immoral behavior in the more recent past.

[Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius]

RE: The Way of War of Our Enemies

In every hot war the United States has become involved in since the Korean War, we have enjoyed absolute tactical and operational dominance over our enemies. We win every tactical engagement, overwhelmingly. Operationally we can and do dominate any theater of our choosing. No one—and I mean NO ONE—can stand toe to toe with the US military.

This has been true for decades.

We’ve talked before about the elements of national power—the “DIME” (Diplomacy, Informational, Military, Economic).

Our military power is unsurpassed. We are masters of diplomacy. We have the world’s strongest economy.

So how do we lose? The INFORMATIONAL component.

Our military opponents, from Ho Chi Minh to Osama bin Ladin, knew that the only way to defeat the USA is to demoralize the American populace such that it demands withdrawal and throws the then current Commander-in-Chief out of office. The ONLY way to defeat America militarily is to convince the American people that a war is unwinnable.

The slow dribble of IED deaths in OIF was not actually targeting soldiers and Marines—it was targeting YOU, the American people. And CNN eagerly complied with death counts running across the bottom of the screen.

The Tet Offensive? It was a decisive US victory that could have ended the Vietnam War in our favor. But Walter Cronkite instead declared the war lost, protests erupted nationwide, and the war was lost.

The Highway of Death in Kuwait? We could have taken out Saddam Hussein in 1991 and never needed to go back in 2003, but international media made the attack on retreating Iraqis look “too cruel,” so we halted just short of the finish line.

The strategic imperative of every one of America’s military enemies is to break the will of the American people with skewed information, propaganda, and extreme emphasis on America’s minor losses amidst overwhelming military victory.

But the Ho Chi Minhs and Osama bin Ladins can’t do that by themselves. They need willing partners in the American media and government.

And for Operation Epic Fury, boy oh boy do the Iranian mullahs have an over abundance of American morale killers to draw from in order to defeat America through the informational instrument of national power.

Tucker Carlson.

Senator Mark Kelly and the rest of the Seditious Six.

CNN.

ABC.

NBC.

CBS.

NYT, WaPo.

Pakistani bot armies on social media.

X “influencers” like Cerno, Candace, MartyrMade and Ian Carroll.

Every idiot claiming we are fighting “Israel’s war."

There is an entire Army of American politicians and media figures who are willingly fighting Iran’s informational war on its behalf (and in some cases, at its behest).

America is DECISIVELY WINNING the war on Iran in every measurable respect.

Yet there are so many influential Americans who are desperately determined to make you believe otherwise.

In days of old in non-US countries, such people would have been strung up for treason.

Thankfully it’s 2026 and we have a First Amendment, so no one fear being treated in such a medieval manner. But we can still ostracize and ridicule such people and sources for the irreparable harm they are wreaking upon the USA as they do the bidding (intentionally or unintentionally) of Theo-fascist mullahs who are determined to set off a nuclear bomb so that the Twelfth Imam will arise from a well in Qom and precipitate the global apocalypse.

We all need to choose sides. Are you with America, or are you with theologic-inspired, deliberate Armageddon?

And anyone who chooses the latter needs to be the target of mockery, derision and clearly-stated facts disproving their lies.

And if YOU are an American Patriot, you can fight that informational war on America’s behalf, right now, right here on social media, right there in your own living room. Your voice matters, and your voice is actually a part of the war.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

[Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius]

The nonsensical steak and lobster controversy reveals several problems in America today:

1. The veteran population is vanishingly small, meaning so is the population of veteran families. This means that it’s easy to fool most Americans into believing Pete Hegseth takes a bath every night draped in steaks and lobster tails. Only veterans and their families know this is a morale booster that has been going on basically forever.

2. All Democrat messaging is coordinated, 100% of the time. Even an Army Ranger veteran like Jason Crow—who knows better—posted this idiotic idea. For Democrats, approved messaging trumps truth, even when you know you are lying. So what mid-20th Century country ruled by a guy named Joe with a big mustache does that sound like?

3. Democrats—especially Democrat Congress members—really don’t give a crap about “the troops.” They only see the troops as political props, and they see veterans as just another grievance group to exploit.

4. The Democrats are so desperate to
impugn Pete Hegseth over ANYTHING that this is just another of their feeble character assassination attempts. They hate Pete because he has abandoned the social experimentation military in favor of the warfighting military.

5. Something has to change in military culinary training so steaks are not always well done.

[M2 @Amer1can_Barbie]

😉