Sig Christenson
@saddamscribe.bsky.social
I’m a journalist with 43 years in the business, and I’ve reported extensively in Iraq and some in Afghanistan. I’ve covered the military and veterans for the San Antonio Express News and Hearst Newspapers since 1997.
My paper recently ran a story, "Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump." Some didn't want to go on the record w/me, and one today pointed to Pete Hegseth saying DoD would investigate Sen. Mark Kelly. It's all about retribution. www.expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared.
Under military law, generals who speak out could be prosecuted for "contemptuous" statements about the president. "I have worried about retribution," says one.
www.expressnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:43 PM
My paper recently ran a story, "Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump." Some didn't want to go on the record w/me, and one today pointed to Pete Hegseth saying DoD would investigate Sen. Mark Kelly. It's all about retribution. www.expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
A federal judge dismisses Justice Department's criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding the acting U.S. attorney who secured the indictments against the Trump critics was unlawfully appointed. www.npr.org/2025/11/24/g...
Judge tosses Comey, James cases after finding prosecutor unlawfully appointed
Lindsey Halligan, who brought the cases, is a former insurance attorney who once served as President Trump's personal lawyer before his return to office.
www.npr.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:18 PM
A federal judge dismisses Justice Department's criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding the acting U.S. attorney who secured the indictments against the Trump critics was unlawfully appointed. www.npr.org/2025/11/24/g...
Sen. Angus King, and independent who votes w/Dems, and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said they and fellow senators at the forum spoke with Rubio. King said Rubio told them the plan "was not the administration's plan" but a "wish list of the Russians." State Dept denies it. x.com/tomjcrane/st...
Thomas J. Crane on X: "This the most inept administration ever- they don't know where the so-called Ukraine peace plan came from. https://t.co/W4bTPprL1p" / X
This the most inept administration ever- they don't know where the so-called Ukraine peace plan came from. https://t.co/W4bTPprL1p
x.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Sen. Angus King, and independent who votes w/Dems, and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said they and fellow senators at the forum spoke with Rubio. King said Rubio told them the plan "was not the administration's plan" but a "wish list of the Russians." State Dept denies it. x.com/tomjcrane/st...
Trump’s Neville Chamberlain Prize: As David Sanger observed in his analysis of the plan’s content: “Many of the 28 points in the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan offered by the White House read like they had been drafted in the Kremlin.” They likely were. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Neville Chamberlain Prize
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Trump’s Neville Chamberlain Prize: As David Sanger observed in his analysis of the plan’s content: “Many of the 28 points in the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan offered by the White House read like they had been drafted in the Kremlin.” They likely were. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
In an Air Force language school full of Muslims, a top official was investigated for social media posts that urged violence against Islamic protesters. He denied writing them, but the Air Force told us it took 'administrative actions.' www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Social media posts urging violence against Muslims spark Air Force probe
The posts bear the name of a top official at a Defense Department language school in San Antonio. He says he didn't write them. The Air Force has taken action.
www.expressnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:22 AM
In an Air Force language school full of Muslims, a top official was investigated for social media posts that urged violence against Islamic protesters. He denied writing them, but the Air Force told us it took 'administrative actions.' www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones faces an uphill battle in push for Spurs arena agreements. She still wants a better deal, one focused on regular folks. Example: "Now is the time to be intentional about an affordable, livable downtown” -- one not like Austin. expressnews.com/news/article...
via @expressnews
via @expressnews
Mayor Jones faces uphill battle in push for Spurs arena agreements
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is reiterating her calls for revenue-sharing and an independent economic analysis. And she hasn’t ruled out trying to put the city’s contribution up to a public vote.
expressnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones faces an uphill battle in push for Spurs arena agreements. She still wants a better deal, one focused on regular folks. Example: "Now is the time to be intentional about an affordable, livable downtown” -- one not like Austin. expressnews.com/news/article...
via @expressnews
via @expressnews
Social media posts urging violence against Muslims spark Air Force probe. A Feb. 1 post on X — one of those Randall Conrad has told the Air Force he did not write — called for using a machine gun 'on the back of a jeep' on Muslim protesters. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Social media posts urging violence against Muslims spark Air Force probe
The posts bear the name of a top official at a Defense Department language school in San Antonio. He says he didn't write them. The Air Force has taken action.
www.expressnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Social media posts urging violence against Muslims spark Air Force probe. A Feb. 1 post on X — one of those Randall Conrad has told the Air Force he did not write — called for using a machine gun 'on the back of a jeep' on Muslim protesters. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Patti Smith | If you want to call me something, call me a worker. Because that’s what I do. I work every day and try to do the best work I can. I don’t say I am not a musician out of modesty. I’m just not. I’m a performer,... www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/o...
Opinion | Patti Smith on the One Desire That Lasts Forever
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Patti Smith | If you want to call me something, call me a worker. Because that’s what I do. I work every day and try to do the best work I can. I don’t say I am not a musician out of modesty. I’m just not. I’m a performer,... www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/o...
Anti-Muslim social media posts spark AF probe. Randall R. Conrad, associate dean of academics at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center, denied writing some posts, one urging US Sen. Elizabeth Warren to kill herself “for the good of the tribe.” www.expressnews.com/news/article...
Social media posts urging violence against Muslims spark Air Force probe
The posts bear the name of a top official at a Defense Department language school in San Antonio. He says he didn't write them. The Air Force has taken action.
www.expressnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Anti-Muslim social media posts spark AF probe. Randall R. Conrad, associate dean of academics at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center, denied writing some posts, one urging US Sen. Elizabeth Warren to kill herself “for the good of the tribe.” www.expressnews.com/news/article...
Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’ www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’ www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Call it a near-death experience: Congressman steps in to sabe Veterans Day at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery after the government shitdown kills it. www.expressnews.com/news/article...
Rep. Tony Gonzales steps in to save Veterans Day at Fort Sam Houston
After hearing that the VA planned to kill the annual Day ceremony, Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Navy veteran, stepped in to rescue it.
www.expressnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Call it a near-death experience: Congressman steps in to sabe Veterans Day at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery after the government shitdown kills it. www.expressnews.com/news/article...
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall: Who will our military be told to execute next? What other orders might Trump or Hegseth give involving lethal force by the military? Is there any use of force the president’s handpicked legal authorities would find unlawful? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
Opinion | Whom Will Our Military Be Ordered to Execute Next?
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall: Who will our military be told to execute next? What other orders might Trump or Hegseth give involving lethal force by the military? Is there any use of force the president’s handpicked legal authorities would find unlawful? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared. Article 88 is the key. 'The Trump administration is using the law as a weapon to go after its enemies, exact revenge and suppress dissent.'- Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared.
Under military law, generals who speak out could be prosecuted for "contemptuous" statements about the president. "I have worried about retribution," says one.
expressnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared. Article 88 is the key. 'The Trump administration is using the law as a weapon to go after its enemies, exact revenge and suppress dissent.'- Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared. 'I have worried about retribution,' one senior military figure said. www.expressnews.com/news/texas/a...
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared.
Under military law, generals who speak out could be prosecuted for "contemptuous" statements about the president. "I have worried about retribution," says one.
www.expressnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared. 'I have worried about retribution,' one senior military figure said. www.expressnews.com/news/texas/a...
Retired generals are staying silent about Donald Trump. Why? One senior military figure told me, 'I have worried about retribution...If you do planning as long as I have, you sit down and you write out the pros and cons of everything.' expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
Why retired generals are staying silent about Trump: They're scared.
Under military law, generals who speak out could be prosecuted for "contemptuous" statements about the president. "I have worried about retribution," says one.
expressnews.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Retired generals are staying silent about Donald Trump. Why? One senior military figure told me, 'I have worried about retribution...If you do planning as long as I have, you sit down and you write out the pros and cons of everything.' expressnews.com/news/texas/a... via @expressnews
Hegseth's homework assignment: Everyone in military has to watch his anti-woke speech, and as Colonel Sink in 'Band of Brothers' would tell you, get it done. Time is running out. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Hegseth homework: Everyone in military has to watch his anti-woke speech
On Sept. 30, Hegseth railed against 'woke' policies he said amounted to a 'war on warriors.' Now, service members are under orders to view or read the speech.
www.expressnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Hegseth's homework assignment: Everyone in military has to watch his anti-woke speech, and as Colonel Sink in 'Band of Brothers' would tell you, get it done. Time is running out. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
In San Antonio, and probably elsewhere as well, the government shutdown is killing Halloween fun at U.S. military bases. Here's a look at the what's dead at JBSA. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Government shutdown kills Halloween fun at military bases, including JBSA
The annual Boo Bash and Fall Fest at Lackland Air Force Base have been scrubbed. It's the same at military installations across the country.
www.expressnews.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
In San Antonio, and probably elsewhere as well, the government shutdown is killing Halloween fun at U.S. military bases. Here's a look at the what's dead at JBSA. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
The Army Fitness Test is a challenge for 'Meal Team 6' and anyone else who's been digging into that Chicago deep pan pizza lately. Take a look at just how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Can you measure up? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Here’s how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Could you cut it?
A photo of chunky Texas National Guard troops in Chicago went viral, and 7 were sent home. But there's nothing soft about Guard fitness standards.
www.expressnews.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
The Army Fitness Test is a challenge for 'Meal Team 6' and anyone else who's been digging into that Chicago deep pan pizza lately. Take a look at just how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Can you measure up? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Some folks called the chunky Texas National Guard soldiers in Illinois members of 'Meal Team 6.' But passing the Army's fitness test is no joke. Here's a look at how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Would you measure up? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Here’s how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Could you cut it?
A photo of chunky Texas National Guard troops in Chicago went viral, and 7 were sent home. But there's nothing soft about Guard fitness standards.
www.expressnews.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Some folks called the chunky Texas National Guard soldiers in Illinois members of 'Meal Team 6.' But passing the Army's fitness test is no joke. Here's a look at how fit Army National Guardsmen have to be. Would you measure up? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
The Dutch are pulling away from US bc of Trump. ‘That we sometimes don’t tell things anymore, that is true,” Reesink said, while Akerboom added that sharing is case by case. “We are very alert to the politicisation of intelligence and to human rights violations.” www.dutchnews.nl/2025/10/dutc...
Dutch intelligence services now share less information with US - DutchNews.nl
The Dutch intelligence services are sharing less information with the United States and working more closely with European partners, AIVD director Erik Akerboom and MIVD director Peter Reesink have to...
www.dutchnews.nl
October 20, 2025 at 2:03 AM
The Dutch are pulling away from US bc of Trump. ‘That we sometimes don’t tell things anymore, that is true,” Reesink said, while Akerboom added that sharing is case by case. “We are very alert to the politicisation of intelligence and to human rights violations.” www.dutchnews.nl/2025/10/dutc...
So being against this is somehow against the troops? A defender of the exercise suggests just that: Military Plans to Fire Artillery Over California Freeway on Saturday. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
Military Plans to Fire Artillery Over California Freeway on Saturday
www.nytimes.com
October 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM
So being against this is somehow against the troops? A defender of the exercise suggests just that: Military Plans to Fire Artillery Over California Freeway on Saturday. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
San Antonio losing 2 Army commands. The change will come in 6-8 weeks, tho the Army won't say how many GIs will be lost. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones says the decision may have “a minimal impact" on the Army's footprint, but how does she know that? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Pentagon orders Army commands out of San Antonio in major shake-up
The headquarters of Army North and Army South, both now at Fort Sam Houston, will be merged into a new Western Hemisphere command based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
www.expressnews.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:32 PM
San Antonio losing 2 Army commands. The change will come in 6-8 weeks, tho the Army won't say how many GIs will be lost. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones says the decision may have “a minimal impact" on the Army's footprint, but how does she know that? www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
San Antonio to lose two Army commands to North Carolina. Army North and Army South, both at Fort Sam Houston, were caught up in Pete Hegseth’s efforts to merge organizations in what he characterized a bloated Defense Department. www.expressnews.com/news/article...
San Antonio to lose two Army commands to North Carolina
The headquarters of Army North and Army South, both now at Fort Sam Houston, will be merged into a new Western Hemisphere command based at Fort Bragg, N.C.
www.expressnews.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:26 AM
San Antonio to lose two Army commands to North Carolina. Army North and Army South, both at Fort Sam Houston, were caught up in Pete Hegseth’s efforts to merge organizations in what he characterized a bloated Defense Department. www.expressnews.com/news/article...
One of the GIs in this pic looks like a Chicago Bears defensive nose guard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn't happy about that and likely won't be thrilled to learn the number of Texans sent home from Chicago for being unfit for duty has gone up. expressnews.com/news/article...
via @expressnews
via @expressnews
Number of out-of-shape Texas Guardsmen sent home from Chicago goes up
The Texas National Guard said seven soldiers "who did not meet mission requirements" were called back home. Previously, the number was pegged at four.
expressnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:02 AM
One of the GIs in this pic looks like a Chicago Bears defensive nose guard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn't happy about that and likely won't be thrilled to learn the number of Texans sent home from Chicago for being unfit for duty has gone up. expressnews.com/news/article...
via @expressnews
via @expressnews
The number of Texas Guardsmen sent home from Chicago for being unfit has gone up. The San Antonio Express-News has the scoop. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews
Number of out-of-shape Texas Guardsmen sent home from Chicago goes up
The Texas National Guard said seven soldiers "who did not meet mission requirements" were called back home. Previously, the number was pegged at four.
www.expressnews.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:29 PM
The number of Texas Guardsmen sent home from Chicago for being unfit has gone up. The San Antonio Express-News has the scoop. www.expressnews.com/news/article... via @expressnews