Michael Fletcher
@mefletcher54.bsky.social
Retired Intelligence Analyst. Cold War era US Army Vet. Fairly familiar with System Dynamics and History. Personal eccentricities: Scadian KSCA, USCF NM&LM. Details and periodic commentary at http://mefletcher.blogspot.com/
One of my jobs was that of Senior Watch Officer on a 24/7 ops floor. These are wise words of advice. Don't make assumptions. Don't jump to conclusions. Wait for the credible verified facts to emerge. They usually do.
Could be the result of:
- A politically motivated attack
- A robbery
- A negligent discharge
- An argument between Guard members
The point is: Don't assume anything and wait for details
- A politically motivated attack
- A robbery
- A negligent discharge
- An argument between Guard members
The point is: Don't assume anything and wait for details
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two National Guard members have been shot in Washington, D.C., and their condition isn't known, AP source says.
November 26, 2025 at 8:19 PM
One of my jobs was that of Senior Watch Officer on a 24/7 ops floor. These are wise words of advice. Don't make assumptions. Don't jump to conclusions. Wait for the credible verified facts to emerge. They usually do.
Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Max Boot: The Halifax International Security Forum is an annual gathering of political and military leaders and security experts from democratic countries, with a mission “to strengthen strategic cooperation among the world’s democracies.” That
Opinion | America has become a rogue nation. U.S. allies are looking elsewhere.
Europeans and Canadians are talking about making their own security arrangements.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Max Boot: The Halifax International Security Forum is an annual gathering of political and military leaders and security experts from democratic countries, with a mission “to strengthen strategic cooperation among the world’s democracies.” That
That's what America does now under Trump. It's a sacred cause. We now try to coerce nations to surrender to brutal invading war criminal dictators - all in the cause of peace!
November 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
That's what America does now under Trump. It's a sacred cause. We now try to coerce nations to surrender to brutal invading war criminal dictators - all in the cause of peace!
Trump's Department of Injustice has been nickel and diming the federal courts to death. They mixed passive-aggressive acts with small-scale defiance. Divide and conquer also had a hand./1 newrepublic.com/post/203649/...
DOJ Flouts Court Order on Trump’s Illegally Installed Attorney
A judge ruled Lindsey Halligan was unconstitutionally appointed. Donald Trump’s team doesn’t care.
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Trump's Department of Injustice has been nickel and diming the federal courts to death. They mixed passive-aggressive acts with small-scale defiance. Divide and conquer also had a hand./1 newrepublic.com/post/203649/...
The rule of law is dead.
BREAKING: The Georgia prosecutor has dropped the charges against Trump and his co-conspirators who plotted to steal 11,780 votes in Georgia so he could overturn the 2020 election.
Georgia prosecutor kills the historic racketeering case against Trump and allies | CNN Politics
A Georgia prosecutor on Wednesday officially dropped the historic racketeering case against President Donald Trump and others for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, closing the cha...
www.cnn.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:12 PM
The rule of law is dead.
Taking a page out of the South's playbook, we could have a religious denomination or two write up an extensive biblical justification. That would cement our position as uncontestable because, you know, the Bible. 😎
a left-of-center charles murray type who argues that we must stop blaming the myriad problems of southern whites on their diseased culture and instead accept that southern whites are genetically inferior
November 26, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Taking a page out of the South's playbook, we could have a religious denomination or two write up an extensive biblical justification. That would cement our position as uncontestable because, you know, the Bible. 😎
Profits, adhering to rigid ideology, and punishing and keeping down scapegoats and perceived enemies are much more important to the Republican mind than the welfare of others. Hence, they persist in policies that simply don't work or inflict measurable harm and even death.
If it saves lives, Republicans oppose it. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Profits, adhering to rigid ideology, and punishing and keeping down scapegoats and perceived enemies are much more important to the Republican mind than the welfare of others. Hence, they persist in policies that simply don't work or inflict measurable harm and even death.
"It is the doom of men that they forget." - Merlin's warning to King Arthur and his knights.
Commentary: Authoritarian nostalgia is rising across Southeast Asia, as leaders and societies whitewash past dictatorships, threatening democratic institutions and stability throughout the region.
How amnesia is turning Asia’s tyrants into heroes
Experts warn that forgetting the realities of autocratic rule threatens democratic institutions, transparency and long-term stability.
ebx.sh
November 26, 2025 at 10:10 AM
"It is the doom of men that they forget." - Merlin's warning to King Arthur and his knights.
One the nose but defensible given how the Star Chamber Six, the force behind the most corrupt and political SCOTUS in our history, have enabled Trump and his drive towards dictatorship at almost every opportunity.
Bolsonaro is what happens when six Supreme Court justices aren't co-conspirators.
November 26, 2025 at 1:38 AM
One the nose but defensible given how the Star Chamber Six, the force behind the most corrupt and political SCOTUS in our history, have enabled Trump and his drive towards dictatorship at almost every opportunity.
It's so cute and naive that Witkoff thought that he had to brief the Russians on how to manipulate Trump or any other asset. What a dork; totally out of his league.
Take a moment to analyze what Witkoff is saying:
TRUMP IS BLIND TO FLATTERY FROM WHOM HE CONSIDERS PEERS.
Everyone around Trump manipulates him with flattery, or warnings of treachery.
So Witkoff is coaching Putin (who already knows all this) on how to best manipulate DJT.
TRUMP IS BLIND TO FLATTERY FROM WHOM HE CONSIDERS PEERS.
Everyone around Trump manipulates him with flattery, or warnings of treachery.
So Witkoff is coaching Putin (who already knows all this) on how to best manipulate DJT.
November 25, 2025 at 9:45 PM
It's so cute and naive that Witkoff thought that he had to brief the Russians on how to manipulate Trump or any other asset. What a dork; totally out of his league.
It's like the blank check corporate feeding during GWOT after 9/11. There were some shady shenanigans, no doubt, there always is when there's that much easy money on the line, but this one is going to be epic with corruption and crony capitalism.
ICE has just under four years to spend $29.9 billion, they are going to outsource AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE to contractors because money is essentially not a problem anymore for the agency.
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
November 25, 2025 at 9:41 PM
It's like the blank check corporate feeding during GWOT after 9/11. There were some shady shenanigans, no doubt, there always is when there's that much easy money on the line, but this one is going to be epic with corruption and crony capitalism.
It makes one wonder who side these people are on .... 😎
As one does.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
November 25, 2025 at 8:22 PM
It makes one wonder who side these people are on .... 😎
In real democracies with the rule of law, the top conspirators in a coup get hard time sentences.
We don't do that in the US in order to encourage future coups, possibly by the same people. That just how we roll here.
We don't do that in the US in order to encourage future coups, possibly by the same people. That just how we roll here.
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
In real democracies with the rule of law, the top conspirators in a coup get hard time sentences.
We don't do that in the US in order to encourage future coups, possibly by the same people. That just how we roll here.
We don't do that in the US in order to encourage future coups, possibly by the same people. That just how we roll here.
Reposted by Michael Fletcher
In two years, Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Every day, settlers attack Palestinian villages. Netanyahu & his extremist allies have one goal: annexation by force. The U.S. has enabled them.
NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL.
Every day, settlers attack Palestinian villages. Netanyahu & his extremist allies have one goal: annexation by force. The U.S. has enabled them.
NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL.
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
In two years, Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Every day, settlers attack Palestinian villages. Netanyahu & his extremist allies have one goal: annexation by force. The U.S. has enabled them.
NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL.
Every day, settlers attack Palestinian villages. Netanyahu & his extremist allies have one goal: annexation by force. The U.S. has enabled them.
NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL.
This sums up the matter well. Putin is not going to be shifted from the ideological goals on this side of the grave.
They are core to his identity and not negotiable. /1
They are core to his identity and not negotiable. /1
“Putin’s aims have never shifted because they are ideological, not tactical. He wants subjugation, not compromise. He wants Kyiv, not coexistence…These are not negotiable objectives. And yet Europe and the US continue to behave as though they are.”
londonlovesbusiness.com/the-28-point...
londonlovesbusiness.com/the-28-point...
The 28-point 'Peace Plan': A crisis of trust, influence and strategic delusion - London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
Explore the implications of The 28-point 'Peace Plan' and its links to Russian proposals amid a political earthquake.
londonlovesbusiness.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
This sums up the matter well. Putin is not going to be shifted from the ideological goals on this side of the grave.
They are core to his identity and not negotiable. /1
They are core to his identity and not negotiable. /1
Reposted by Michael Fletcher
I'm seeing claims that progress was made at #COP30, but it really wasn't. Each passing year with no fossil fuel phaseout comes at great opportunity cost as we further burn through the vanishing carbon budget that remains for averting dangerous warming. See my commentary: michaelmann.net/bad-cop/
November 23, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I'm seeing claims that progress was made at #COP30, but it really wasn't. Each passing year with no fossil fuel phaseout comes at great opportunity cost as we further burn through the vanishing carbon budget that remains for averting dangerous warming. See my commentary: michaelmann.net/bad-cop/
To be fair, this meme largely summarizes my state of being since late 2016, but it is particularly appropriate here.
November 25, 2025 at 2:18 PM
To be fair, this meme largely summarizes my state of being since late 2016, but it is particularly appropriate here.
I knew they weren't really ducks! 😎
You know, I'm not sure I ever really read the Pond Rules at our local nature preserve all that closely before
November 25, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I knew they weren't really ducks! 😎
As I have noted in the past, I regret to inform you that the Business Plot finally succeeded in America after nearly 100 years. /1
Past is prologue.
In 1933, during the Great Depression, a group of wealthy businessmen tried to overthrow the US government and install a fascist dictator to protect their own interests.
And everything that led to it feels way too familiar right now.
This is not a history lesson, it’s a warning.
In 1933, during the Great Depression, a group of wealthy businessmen tried to overthrow the US government and install a fascist dictator to protect their own interests.
And everything that led to it feels way too familiar right now.
This is not a history lesson, it’s a warning.
November 25, 2025 at 11:10 AM
As I have noted in the past, I regret to inform you that the Business Plot finally succeeded in America after nearly 100 years. /1
Religions operating independently of, or cooperatively with, secular government to gain power has been the norm in most parts of the world. Unfortunately, Buddhism has not proven itself immune.
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’ www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’ www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
The long read: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Religions operating independently of, or cooperatively with, secular government to gain power has been the norm in most parts of the world. Unfortunately, Buddhism has not proven itself immune.
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’ www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’ www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
Do you ever wonder if your Police Dept. is fascist?
Maybe they performed some doubtful activities in the past, and you just aren't sure.
Here is a simple test:
How much do they cooperate with that proven fascist organization ICE? /1
Maybe they performed some doubtful activities in the past, and you just aren't sure.
Here is a simple test:
How much do they cooperate with that proven fascist organization ICE? /1
It took a literal miracle to get this autistic kiddo back home to his mother bc instead of the Houston police doing what was right, which would've been to contact his mother to let her know he was safe.
They chose to call ICE instead. And terrorize an autistic child and his family.
#SheShed
1of2
They chose to call ICE instead. And terrorize an autistic child and his family.
#SheShed
1of2
After 48 days, 3 pieces from the Houston Chronicle editorial board, requests for comment from others — like TBW — legal work by multiple attorneys and the advocacy organization FIEL, city council meetings, press conferences, and intercessions from Rep. Al Green, Garcia’s son was finally released.
November 25, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Do you ever wonder if your Police Dept. is fascist?
Maybe they performed some doubtful activities in the past, and you just aren't sure.
Here is a simple test:
How much do they cooperate with that proven fascist organization ICE? /1
Maybe they performed some doubtful activities in the past, and you just aren't sure.
Here is a simple test:
How much do they cooperate with that proven fascist organization ICE? /1
Reposted by Michael Fletcher
Reposted by Michael Fletcher
I’m ready to come back on active duty to defend @captmarkkelly.bsky.social as an Army JAG. I’ve got a pretty good win record…. See you in court.
November 24, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I’m ready to come back on active duty to defend @captmarkkelly.bsky.social as an Army JAG. I’ve got a pretty good win record…. See you in court.
I'm not sure, but I think there may be a tell about the real reason they want to invade Venezuela deeply hidden somewhere in his statement. We only have to tease it out. 😎
Rep. Salazar on Venezuela: "We're about to go in ... we need to go in ... Venezuela for the American oil companies will be a field day"
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
I'm not sure, but I think there may be a tell about the real reason they want to invade Venezuela deeply hidden somewhere in his statement. We only have to tease it out. 😎
Postponed yet again and again. Don't let that concern you, Speaker Johnson among others, keeps assuring us that they are working on it!
R.I.P. TrumpCare (2:12 pm, November 24, 2025 - 2:14 pm, November 24, 2025)
You will not be mourned.
You will not be mourned.
absolutely incredible -- CNN host introduces a segment about Trump's "new healthcare proposal," but less than two minutes later breaks into her script to announce "breaking news" that Trump's healthcare proposal is being postponed
November 24, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Postponed yet again and again. Don't let that concern you, Speaker Johnson among others, keeps assuring us that they are working on it!