Officer Down

Police Officer Mathew J. Mazany
Mentor Police Department, Ohio
End of Watch Sunday, June 24, 2018
Age 41
Tour 14 years
Cause Vehicular assault

Police Officer Mathew Mazany was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while assisting another officer during a traffic stop on Route 2, near Route 306, at approximately 1:00 am.

The vehicle that had been stopped contained a subject wanted in another jurisdiction. As the officers began to approach the car to take the person into custody another vehicle entered the area and struck Officer Mazany. The vehicle fled the scene after striking Officer Mazany but was located several hours later and the driver was taken into custody.

Officer Mazany had served with the Mentor Police Department for 14 years. He is survived by his son, father, and brother.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

K9 Down

K9 Cade
Hendricks County Sheriff's Office, Indiana
End of Watch Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Breed Belgian Malinois
Gender Male
Age 5
Tour 3 years, 6 months
Cause Duty related illness
Incident Date Tuesday, July 3, 2018

K9 Cade died after suffering a medical emergency while tracking a suspect in the area of Ronald Reagan Parkway and County Road 300 North in Brownsburg, Indiana.

Other units had attempted to stop a vehicle, which fled and led them on a pursuit. The subject drove to a woodline and then fled on foot into the woods. Officers set up a perimeter and K9 Cade was deployed to track and apprehend the subject.

K9 Cade began showing symptoms of distress and was immediately transported to a local veterinarian. He succumbed the following day.

K9 Cade had served with Hendricks County Sheriff's Office for 3-1/2 years.

Rest in Peace …till our next roll call at the Rainbow Bridge!

In Memory of all Police Dogs

They handled themselves with beauty & grace

And who could ever forget that beautiful face

Whether at work; or at home; whatever the test

They always worked hard; and did their best

They were real champions; at work or at play

But their lives were cut short; suddenly one day

While working on the job with their partner one day

They put themselves out on a limb; out into harms way

They gave the ultimate sacrifice; any dog can give

They gave up their life; so someone could live

The best of their breed; as his partner and anyone would say

Many hearts are now broken; that he had to prove it this way

Now as the trees are blowing in the gentle breeze

The sun is shining; thru the leaves on the trees

The meadows are green; and the grass grows tall

Off in the distance they can see a waterfall

As they look over the falls; down through the creek

The water flows gently; as a rabbit sneaks a peek

Far up above; in the deep blue sky

They see the birds soar high; as they fly by

They see animals playing; at the bridge by a waterfall

Chasing each other; and just having a ball

They play all day; from morning to night

There's no more rain; just warm sunlight

Off in the distance; they hear trumpets blow

Then all the animals look up; and notice a bright glow

The harps would play and the angels would sing

As they know they've come home; they've earned their wings

We remember that they died; in the line of duty

And are now with the Lord; sharing in heaven's beauty

Off to the meadows now; where they can play and roam free

With an occasional rest stop; under a tall oak tree

No more bad guys to chase; or bullets to take

Just a run through the meadow; down to the lake

A quick splash in the water; then back to the shore

Then it's off to the forest; to go play some more

These special dogs are back home; up in heaven above

They're cradled in God's arm's; and covered with His love

We'll light a candle for all of them; in the dark of night

In loving memory of all; these very special knights

By John Quealy

Officer Down

Police Officer Richard Lopez
New York City Police Department, New York
End of Watch Sunday, June 24, 2018
Cause 9/11 related illness
Incident Date Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet
Age 52
Tour 20 years
Badge 2220

Police Officer Richard Lopez died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Officer Lopez was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the New York City Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and brother.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-one law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

K9 Down

K9 Choper
Conewango Township Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Breed German Shepherd
Gender Male
Age 5
Tour 3 years
Cause Fall
Incident Date Tuesday, June 5, 2018

K9 Choper died from injuries suffered when he fell from the roof of a three-story building at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue And Elm Street in Warren, Pennsylvania.

He and his handler were conducting a training exercise in the abandoned building with the accident occurred at approximately 9:35 pm. K9 Choper was rushed to a veterinary hospital where he died shortly after midnight.

K9 Choper had served with the Conewango Township Police Department for three years.

Rest in Peace …till our next roll call at the Rainbow Bridge!

In Memory of all Police Dogs

They handled themselves with beauty & grace

And who could ever forget that beautiful face

Whether at work; or at home; whatever the test

They always worked hard; and did their best

They were real champions; at work or at play

But their lives were cut short; suddenly one day

While working on the job with their partner one day

They put themselves out on a limb; out into harms way

They gave the ultimate sacrifice; any dog can give

They gave up their life; so someone could live

The best of their breed; as his partner and anyone would say

Many hearts are now broken; that he had to prove it this way

Now as the trees are blowing in the gentle breeze

The sun is shining; thru the leaves on the trees

The meadows are green; and the grass grows tall

Off in the distance they can see a waterfall

As they look over the falls; down through the creek

The water flows gently; as a rabbit sneaks a peek

Far up above; in the deep blue sky

They see the birds soar high; as they fly by

They see animals playing; at the bridge by a waterfall

Chasing each other; and just having a ball

They play all day; from morning to night

There's no more rain; just warm sunlight

Off in the distance; they hear trumpets blow

Then all the animals look up; and notice a bright glow

The harps would play and the angels would sing

As they know they've come home; they've earned their wings

We remember that they died; in the line of duty

And are now with the Lord; sharing in heaven's beauty

Off to the meadows now; where they can play and roam free

With an occasional rest stop; under a tall oak tree

No more bad guys to chase; or bullets to take

Just a run through the meadow; down to the lake

A quick splash in the water; then back to the shore

Then it's off to the forest; to go play some more

These special dogs are back home; up in heaven above

They're cradled in God's arm's; and covered with His love

We'll light a candle for all of them; in the dark of night

In loving memory of all; these very special knights

By John Quealy

Officer Down

Senior Police Officer Christopher James Driver
Rocky Mount Police Department, North Carolina
End of Watch Saturday, June 23, 2018
Age 27
Tour 5 years, 4 months

Senior Police Officer Christopher Driver was killed in a vehicle crash in front of 4112 South Church Street while on duty at approximately 10:30 pm.

His patrol car collided with the back of a tree-trimming bucket truck that was left parked in his travel lane. The truck was being towed illegally when its brakes failed and the 46-year-old driver had to stop. While the driver went in search of help, Officer Driver who was responding to the scene, after being told that the truck was possibly stolen, hit the vehicle. The lights on the back of the vehicle were so dim they could not be seen unless one was very close to them. The driver was arrested and charged with illegal tow of a vehicle, leaving an unattended vehicle, and misdemeanor death by vehicle. Another man, who was in the truck that was hit, ran away when the accident happened. He was charged with illegal tow of a vehicle, misdemeanor death by vehicle, and leaving the scene of an accident. The accident is being investigated by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Officer Driver had served with the Rocky Mount Police Department for five years. He is survived by his wife.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

A short time ago in a place not too far away...

These four knocked it out the park!

I love acoustic guitar, I was a long time fan of MTVs Unplugged (back when MTV played music), and I love Star Wars.

Enjoy!

Officer Down

Correctional Officer Tawanna Marin
Florida Department of Corrections, Florida
End of Watch Monday, June 18, 2018
Age 48
Tour 9 years

Correctional Officer Tawanna Marin was struck and killed by a vehicle while supervising an inmate work crew near the intersection of Sample Road and Lyons Road in Coconut Creek.

She was standing behind a Florida DOT dump truck when another vehicle entered the area and struck her, causing her to become pinned between the car and dump truck. She was extricated from the wreckage and transported to Broward Health North where she succumbed to her injuries.

Officer Marin had served with the Florida Department of Corrections for nine years.

Rest in Peace Sis…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

K9 Down

K9 Tuco
Stephens County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma
End of Watch Sunday, May 20, 2018
Breed German Shepherd
Gender Male
Cause Drowned

K9 Tuco drowned after his handler's patrol car crashed into a flooded ravine on Highway 29 while responding to a water rescue at approximately 4:00 am.

The patrol car hydroplaned and rolled over into the water. Another deputy following behind the patrol car was able to rescue Tuco's handler from the vehicle, which was submerged under water. The two deputies both tried to rescue Tuco but were unable to remove him from the vehicle.

Rest in Peace Tuco…till our next roll call at the Rainbow Bridge!

In Memory of all Police Dogs

They handled themselves with beauty & grace

And who could ever forget that beautiful face

Whether at work; or at home; whatever the test

They always worked hard; and did their best

They were real champions; at work or at play

But their lives were cut short; suddenly one day

While working on the job with their partner one day

They put themselves out on a limb; out into harms way

They gave the ultimate sacrifice; any dog can give

They gave up their life; so someone could live

The best of their breed; as his partner and anyone would say

Many hearts are now broken; that he had to prove it this way

Now as the trees are blowing in the gentle breeze

The sun is shining; thru the leaves on the trees

The meadows are green; and the grass grows tall

Off in the distance they can see a waterfall

As they look over the falls; down through the creek

The water flows gently; as a rabbit sneaks a peek

Far up above; in the deep blue sky

They see the birds soar high; as they fly by

They see animals playing; at the bridge by a waterfall

Chasing each other; and just having a ball

They play all day; from morning to night

There's no more rain; just warm sunlight

Off in the distance; they hear trumpets blow

Then all the animals look up; and notice a bright glow

The harps would play and the angels would sing

As they know they've come home; they've earned their wings

We remember that they died; in the line of duty

And are now with the Lord; sharing in heaven's beauty

Off to the meadows now; where they can play and roam free

With an occasional rest stop; under a tall oak tree

No more bad guys to chase; or bullets to take

Just a run through the meadow; down to the lake

A quick splash in the water; then back to the shore

Then it's off to the forest; to go play some more

These special dogs are back home; up in heaven above

They're cradled in God's arm's; and covered with His love

We'll light a candle for all of them; in the dark of night

In loving memory of all; these very special knights

By John Quealy

K9 Down

K9 Bane
Phoenix Police Department, Arizona
End of Watch Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Breed Belgian Malinois
Gender Male
Age 3
Tour 2 years

K9 Bane was killed while attempting an apprehension following a vehicle pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

A male and female had led officers on a 30-minute pursuit after carjacking a vehicle. The pursuit ended after the vehicle struck stop sticks in the area of 27th Avenue and Bethany Home Road. Both subjects fled the scene. The female was immediately apprehended while the subject fled on foot. A SWAT team located the subject hiding in the attic of a nearby home and K9 Bane was released for an apprehension but was killed during the apprehension. The exact cause of death is not yet determined.

K9 Bane had served with the Phoenix Police Department for two years.

Rest in Peace Bane…till our next roll call at the Rainbow Bridge!

In Memory of all Police Dogs

They handled themselves with beauty & grace

And who could ever forget that beautiful face

Whether at work; or at home; whatever the test

They always worked hard; and did their best

They were real champions; at work or at play

But their lives were cut short; suddenly one day

While working on the job with their partner one day

They put themselves out on a limb; out into harms way

They gave the ultimate sacrifice; any dog can give

They gave up their life; so someone could live

The best of their breed; as his partner and anyone would say

Many hearts are now broken; that he had to prove it this way

Now as the trees are blowing in the gentle breeze

The sun is shining; thru the leaves on the trees

The meadows are green; and the grass grows tall

Off in the distance they can see a waterfall

As they look over the falls; down through the creek

The water flows gently; as a rabbit sneaks a peek

Far up above; in the deep blue sky

They see the birds soar high; as they fly by

They see animals playing; at the bridge by a waterfall

Chasing each other; and just having a ball

They play all day; from morning to night

There's no more rain; just warm sunlight

Off in the distance; they hear trumpets blow

Then all the animals look up; and notice a bright glow

The harps would play and the angels would sing

As they know they've come home; they've earned their wings

We remember that they died; in the line of duty

And are now with the Lord; sharing in heaven's beauty

Off to the meadows now; where they can play and roam free

With an occasional rest stop; under a tall oak tree

No more bad guys to chase; or bullets to take

Just a run through the meadow; down to the lake

A quick splash in the water; then back to the shore

Then it's off to the forest; to go play some more

These special dogs are back home; up in heaven above

They're cradled in God's arm's; and covered with His love

We'll light a candle for all of them; in the dark of night

In loving memory of all; these very special knights

By John Quealy

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Theresa Sue King
Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch Saturday, June 16, 2018
Age 44
Tour 13 years
Badge 1689

Deputy Sheriff Patrick Thomas Rohrer
Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch Friday, June 15, 2018
Age 35
Tour 7 years
Badge 1903

Deputy Sheriff Patrick Rohrer and Deputy Sheriff Theresa King were shot and killed as they transported a prisoner to the Wyandotte County Correction and Court Services Building, at 800 7th Street, at approximately 11:15 am.

They were unloading the prisoner from the transport van in the facility's exterior sally port when the man attacked them. He was able to disarm one of the deputies and shot them both. Despite being mortally wounded, one of the deputies was able to return fire and wounded the subject.

Deputy King was transported to a local hospital where she passed away shortly after midnight.

Deputy King had served with the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for 13 years. She is survived by her three children.

Deputy Rohrer had served with the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for seven years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, son, parents, sister, and grandmother.

Rest in Peace…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Before you ever see the cops, we hear these people....

As a kid one of my favorite shows was Adam-12, the story of two LA police officers working the beat. Many a cop (myself included) were inspired by the story of officers Mally and Reed. But at the beginning of every episode, you heard the dispatcher caller out their numbers:


Sometimes, when you hear the alert tone, it feels like this:

But on a more serious note, emergency centers are having a problem hiring staff:

911 Emergency: Call Centers Can’t Find Workers

Tight labor market has made it harder to recruit; ‘We need a warm body’

Cities across the U.S. are struggling to find 911 dispatchers as a historically tight labor market makes it harder to fill a job that was already a tough sell.

Dispatchers are a linchpin of the nation’s emergency-response infrastructure. Their responses to 911 calls directly impact how quickly police, firefighters and other first responders are sent to help and whether they go to the right place.

They are also hard to hire, since the job can require workers to make snap judgments on life-or-death situations, often based on incomplete information, for about what they could make working as a manager at a retail store...

...“For a lot of them, the requirement is, ‘We need a warm body’,” said Christy Williams, director of 911 for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The problem is exacerbated because many 911 centers are small and lack the resources to pay up for workers or training.

The Cowlitz County 911 Center in Washington is trying to hire six new dispatchers, said its director, Deanna Wells. In the meantime, the center’s 16 current dispatchers are working more than 200 hours of overtime a month...

Seeing four weeks, at fourty hours a week, is 160 hours a month, they are working double shifts, plus!:

..Officials charged with staffing centers in several regions of the U.S. say they have struggled to hire 911 telephone operators as the unemployment rate has ticked down.

Emergency call-center jobs can be emotionally taxing. Callers are often in distress and sometimes still in the throes of a traumatic event. They can cry, yell at or grow frustrated with 911 center employees trying to gather information to help them dispatch first responders.

A 911 center operator may hear gunshots, callers being wounded or killed while they are on the phone, or be the first person to speak with someone who has found a deceased loved one. Some centers offer counseling with local religious leaders or trained therapists, but not all have those services.

Operators are “getting negative information all the time. The aura is kind of negative,” said Andrew Dziegielewski, emergency communications director for the Portland Regional Communications Center in Maine...

Dispatchers and emergency call takers don't need a college degree, but they need to know how to get the correct information, prioritize, recognize frequent flyers, know which houses to automatically send multiple units to, and stay calm themselves. In a word, it's an impossible job, see cops, firefighters, etc. And it’s a simple case of supply and demand. The agencies must pay the people enough they will start working a challenging job, and allow them to have a life.

Welcome to hiring for emergency services.

Officer Down

Sergeant Charles R. Salaway
New York State Police, New York
End of Watch: Saturday, June 9, 2018

Sergeant Charles Salaway died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Sergeant Salaway had served with the New York State Police for 27 years. He is survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters. His wife and one son both serve with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-one law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers killed in this terrorist attack.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh.

Officer Down

Police Officer Charles G. Irvine, Jr.
Milwaukee Police Department, Wisconsin
End of Watch Thursday, June 7, 2018
Age 23
Tour 2 years
Badge 2353

Police Officer Charles Irvine was killed in a single-vehicle crash while pursuing another vehicle.

His patrol car left the roadway and collided with a support wall of an overpass at the intersection of West Silver Spring Drive and North 76th Street. Officer Irvine suffered fatal injuries in the crash. His partner was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Officer Irvine had served with the Milwaukee Police Department as a sworn officer for two years and was assigned to the Fourth District. He had previously served with the department as a Police Aide for two years. He is survived by his fiancee, mother, brother, and grandparents.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Why am I not surprised...the DOJ wants to emasculate a police force.

And women, children, and minorities will be hardest hit.

One of the great results of the end of the Obama regime is the war on cops has been slowed. But it's not over yet. The bureaucracy is still going hard and fast against local police, the premice of what they are concerned over is a lie (Hands Up! Don't Shoot!), and if others get hurt in the process, they are still going for the goal. Federalization of local and state police. And we see another example of the DOJ needing a purging:

ACLU, Black Lives Matter say plans to reform the Chicago police don't go far enough

Chicago police officers would be encouraged to avoid arresting people over minor offenses and would need permission from supervisors to make arrests related to certain infractions under a proposal by activist groups involved in the litigation over potential reforms to the troubled Police Department.

On Tuesday morning, the groups — which include the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and Black Lives Matter Chicago — released their first organized responses to the proposed court agreement Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan introduced last month.

The criticisms are an attempt to influence the draft of the consent decree before it is submitted to a federal judge, which is expected to happen by early September. The activist organizations, the Emanuel administration and Madigan’s office are still wrangling over details of a potential court order that would eventually serve as a judicially enforceable mandate governing how officers use force and how they will be held accountable, among other issues...

...The groups proposed that the department be required to create a policy that encourages officers to use the “least intrusive response appropriate under the circumstances as reasonably understood by the officer at the time” in dealing with minor offenses. The suggested policy would encourage police to give warnings or divert people to “mediation or public health program(s)” rather than citing or locking them up. For a number of offenses, a supervisor would need to approve the arrest “unless not practicable under the circumstances.” Those crimes range from gambling and prostitution offenses to obstructing, resisting or assaulting a police officer

The activist groups also want the department to be forced to enact a policy on foot pursuits, which have often led to shootings and other uses of force. The consent decree proposed by Emanuel and Madigan leaves room for the creation of a policy but does not mandate it.

And the groups want officers to report every incident in which they point a Taser or a gun at a person, or even draw their firearms. The question of whether the department will have to report instances in which cops aim guns at people has been a sticking point between Madigan’s office and the Emanuel administration. Madigan’s office wants the incidents reported, and city officials apparently do not.

The potential consent decree would be one of the most substantive consequences of the scandal sparked in late 2015 by the release of video of Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is white, shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. Van Dyke is scheduled to stand trial on murder charges next month.

The video touched off heated protests and led to an investigation of the police force by the U.S. Department of Justice. That inquiry led to a January 2017 report that described a broken Police Department in which badly trained police officers have engaged in brutality and misconduct with little fear of consequences...

OK, you give cops fear of consequences, such as being assertive and going out to prevent crime, there will be a reaction. Cops will simply log on at the beginning of the shift, answer their calls for service, go home at the end of the shift, and not care if they pass by a man getting assaulted or a woman getting her purse grabbed.

Do you want evidence of this? I posted on this in American Thinker last year. A point I made in that article was cops are, by their nature, not trusting. You screw them over and over, and then make correction, it will take time before they believe it.

Rahm Emanuel, the fish have been delivered to your door. But don't worry, the city will still elect you again and again. You have the magical "D" behind your name, and I don't see them ready for their own Rudy Giuliani. Yet.

God help the people of Chicago.

Officer Down

Collection Operations Manager Christopher Todd Bacon
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Intelligence, U.S. Government
End of Watch Thursday, June 7, 2018
Age 51
Tour 22 years

Collection Operations Manager Christopher Bacon was killed in a vehicle crash near the intersection of U.S. 2 and County Road 46 near Crookston, Minnesota.

His department vehicle struck the back of a tractor-trailer at approximately 1:00 pm.

Manager Bacon was a U.S. Army veteran. He had served with the United States Customs and Border Protection for 22 years and was assigned to the CBP Office of Intelligence Collection in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Officer Down

Trooper First Class Walter Greene
Connecticut State Police, Connecticut
End of Watch Thursday, May 31, 2018
Age 51
Tour 28 years
Cause 9/11 related illness
Location New York
Incident Date Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Trooper First Class Walter Greene died from illnesses he contracted while inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Trooper Greene and his canine, along with other members of the Connecticut State Police's search and rescue team, had responded to the World Trade Center immediately following the attacks to search for possible survivors.

Trooper Greene was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Connecticut State Police for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and three sons.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-one law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers killed in this terrorist attack.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Officer Down

Sergeant Daniel Scott Baker
Dickson County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee
End of Watch Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Age 32
Tour 10 years
Badge 95

Sergeant Daniel Baker was shot and killed while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in the area of Sam Vineyard Road and Tidwell Switch Road.

Dispatchers lost contact with Sergeant Baker after he arrived at the scene and other officers were sent to make contact with him. His vehicle was tracked by GPS and located several miles away by an officer from another agency. His body was located inside of the vehicle.

The subject who shot him was found days later and was arrested with Sgt. Baker's handcuffs.

Sergeant Baker was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Dickson County Sheriff's Office for 10 years. He is survived by his wife, children, and family including his father and stepbrother, who serve as law enforcement officers with the Spring Hill Police Department.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Officer Down

Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley
United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Government
End of Watch Saturday, May 26, 2018
Cause 9/11 related illness
Location New York
Incident Date Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Special Agent in Charge David LeValley died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to assist with search and rescue efforts at the World Trade Center site immediately following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

He spent several weeks at the contaminated World Trade Center site.

Special Agent LeValley had served with the FBI for 22 years and was assigned to the Atlanta Field Office.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-one law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011 members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers killed in this terrorist attack.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

A look at a major issue in our armed forces....

A friend posted this link on Facebook and it is a very interesting read. Last year, I was reviewing an article on the current state of the Army and the author made the point, the Army is broken. However, unlike in the post Vietnam era, there is no leadership coming up and vowing we will fix this:

...The army is in a free fall and the situation is even more dire than those dark days in the early and mid- 1970’s, when the army was reeling from a myriad of problems: a hostile public who never understood the sacrifices made in Southeast Asia and the heroism of its soldiers there; from drug problems, criminals gangs and race riots in the barracks.

The army was broken after Vietnam, but most of its senior leaders were stronger than those today, and they upheld the values of the institution. With the help of young officers and NCO’s who had survived Vietnam, they vowed to rebuild the army and create an all-volunteer, highly-motivated, modern force which, if called upon to fight a war, would go all the way and never look back.

General Fred Franks, who commanded VII Corps in the Gulf War and who lost a leg in Cambodia in 1970, referred to an almost religious devotion among the army’s leadership to rebuild it. Franks called it ‘the hot blue flame that burned brightly.’

After Vietnam, the problems in the army were mainly at the bottom, unlike today, where the army and the military is a fish rotting from its head.

In the 1970’s, under leadership from people like Bill DePuy, Shy Meyer, Donn Starry, Glen Otis and Dick Cavazos the army developed a new doctrine for war known as air land battle, and received new equipment most commonly known as the Big Five: the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley, the Apache, the Blackhawk and the Patriot. The army now had equipment that outclassed most of what the Soviet Army and its Warsaw Pact allies possessed.

Most importantly, the army had a new breed of soldiers; they were volunteers who wanted to serve; they were tough, smart and better paid. Some wanted to make it a career, others wanted to earn enough money to go to college. Some were there for the mere adventure. Under the leadership of Vietnam vet NCO’s; men who knew what went wrong and more importantly, how to insure the mistakes never happened again, the army was reborn...

Something I learned ages ago, wars are fought by nations, but they are won by men in battle. And as our national leadership looses awareness of that fact, the more dangerous our world becomes.

I've discovered this website, War on the Rocks, and the columns are very interesting. I found this article on the needs for a close combat training facility very insightlfull.

When Dauntless Isn’t Enough: The Moral and Strategic Imperative to Fix America’s Close Combat Units

Nearly 80 years ago, the German blitzkrieg took Europe by storm. Often lost in discussions about the German military’s panzers and Luftwaffe is that the assault on France would have never succeeded had it not been for “the remarkable performance of the German infantry.” Yes, it was the world’s best infantry small units that set the conditions for the German blitzkrieg in Sedan, France, allowing Germany to capture almost all of Western Europe in a month’s time. When the German Army was stopped at the Meuse River in Sedan, these small units, led by carefully selected and trained sergeants, crossed the water obstacle via small boats and then rapidly destroyed dozens of “pillbox” positions that anchored the French defensive system. The speed in which the Wehrmacht’s close combat “storm-troopers” destroyed these positions enabled their armor forces to cross the Meuse and continue their attack to the English Channel faster than the French could respond.

Fast-forward four years to Operation Overlord, when thousands of American and allied infantry formations crossed this channel with a mission to destroy the German military. At Normandy’s landing beaches and in the bocage, or hedgerows, just beyond them, German infantrymen were dug-in and determined to halt the allied assault. Most War on the Rocks readers are likely familiar from watching Saving Private Ryan with what happened to Alpha Company of the 116th Regimental Combat Team at Omaha Beach’s Dog Green Sector. While certainly tragic, what happened to 39,000 infantrymen in the six weeks after D-Day as they attempted to bust out of the bocage was far worse. The casualty learning curve — measured in blood — for multiple U.S. infantry divisions exceeded 100 percent. Infantrymen lucky enough to survive the brutal, close-in combat learned hard lessons, adapted, and taught thousands of combat replacements better ways to fight, including more effective ways to employ combined arms. These efforts eventually enabled the destruction of the German infantry units in the bocage. Similar to the panzer dash to Dunkirk in 1940, the courageous actions and severe butcher’s bill of U.S. infantry units were what ultimately enabled Patton’s race to Berlin...

...Realities for America’s Infantrymen in a World with Nuclear Weapons

Since 1945, U.S. policymakers have sent the nation’s close combat personnel into battle in every decade, including the past 17 years without interruption. In these conflicts, America’s infantrymen have suffered more than 80 percent of the nation’s casualties...

...Yet, today, only 19 percent of the Marine Corps’ 648 active-duty infantry rifle squads are led by the appropriately trained, sergeant squad leader that they are required to have. No, that wasn’t a typo. Only 19 percent of what are, in theory, the most important units in the Marine Corps are led by someone with the currently required training and experience. But even when that standard is met, it is not enough. Multiple Marine War on the Rocks authors, including an infantry sergeant, have described how current Marine training is insufficient and unrealistic. While the U.S. Army has figured out ways to place more experienced soldiers in charge of their infantry squads, small unit leadership development is insufficient and realistic training deficiencies are also systemic, as highlighted by Maj. Gen. Robert Brown, a recent Maneuver Center for Excellence commander, and John Spencer of West Point’s Modern War Institute. Special Operations Command appears to have figured out how to meet both the small unit leader experience and training requirements. But that command doesn’t have the necessary capacity to meet American policymaker demand on its own.

Most of the costs involved in fixing these problems would be rounding errors in the defense budget. So why do these problems persist? Simply because the simple solutions to fix them are routinely met with resistance. And this resistance comes either from misinformed priorities or inaccurate claims of insufficient funding...

Something’s got to give. And, to date, manning, equipping, and training (and optimally supporting) the nation’s close combat forces has borne the brunt of the cost. Rep. Niki Tsongas, the ranking member of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee, recently highlighted her concerns with this funding imbalance: “While the Marine Corps certainly has a need for aircraft of many types, the ratio of spending on aircraft compared to ground equipment is striking.”

I would add the Pentagon itself has often missed out on defense cuts. The Army has lost divisions and brigades, but the staff of DA just keeps getting larger and larger. For some reason we need "diversity specalists," but we won two world wars without them.

...Is this what is best for America?

Ultimately, this is why fixing the described infantry manning problem, as senior Army and Marine leaders have discussed for years now, is central to achieving the goal of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ “Close Combat Study.” We will explain in a future article what’s being done across the board to fix these problems, but now we want to focus on one vital solution: the creation of a world-class, joint close combat leader training center to certify those given the privilege to lead the .02 percent of the American population that serve in U.S. infantry units.

Why a Joint Close Combat Leader Training Center?

To answer this question, let us consider a bit more history. During World War II and the Korean conflict, the “exchange ratio” for American air forces was extremely favorable. The ratio between enemy and friendly killed in air-to-air combat over Europe versus the German Luftwaffe was nine to one and, against Japan, 13 to one. In Korea, against North Korean and Russian pilots, the advantage was also 13 to one. For a time in Vietnam, however, the ratio dropped embarrassingly: In 1967, it approached parity.

The response within the Air Force and Navy was immediate and dramatic. Both services began to restore traditional dominant ratios by creating advanced tactical fighter schools, made famous by Tom Cruise: Top Gun for the Navy and Red Flag for the Air Force. These services’ air components, joined in 1978 by the Marine Corps’ aviation combat element’s MAWTS-1, quickly developed new tactics for air-to-air combat. The shock and embarrassment of this tough era also led to the development of a new series of aircraft, such as the F-15, F-16, and F-18. Since Vietnam, these aircraft, in the hands of American and Israeli pilots, have achieved incredible exchange ratios, well over 200 to one...

...Time for a Joint Close Combat Leader Training Center

This center’s primary mission should be to certify America’s joint close combat leaders. This should be done by providing annually three 14-week long certification courses. This is slightly longer than Top Gun and almost half the length of the Air Force’s Weapons School. To ensure sufficient capacity for all of the services and key allied infantry leaders, each course should have space for 450 students, who, upon graduation, return to lead their pre-assigned units for a period of no less than two years. The center’s secondary mission should be to lead joint close combat experimentation efforts. These experimentation efforts can occur during the close combat leader certification courses and in the time periods between classes.

The center’s commanding general should be a follow-on assignment for the commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Bringing this level of experience and expertise to the mission is increasingly critical as the U.S. defense secretary continues to emphasize the need for Marine and Army close combat units to perform missions that have typically been thought of as falling in the domain of special operations. The general’s instructor cadre should comprise the most capable and successful non-commissioned and staff non-commissioned officer close combat leaders from across JSOC, SOCOM, the Marine Corps, the Army, and America’s closest allies’ military forces. An elite cadre of civilian personnel should support the commanding general by operating the command’s combat conditioning and health center, as well as the immersion simulation, additive manufacturing, and experimentation laboratory facilities.

Fort Bliss in Texas would be an optimal location for enabling close combat leaders to gain maximum proficiency in employing live ordnance, including from long-range, joint firing platforms. Fort Bliss also enables close combat leaders to train with the variety of information warfare capabilities that can support their units. Equally important, Fort Bliss is home to the Army’s world-class Sergeants Major Academy. The joint force’s top enlisted leaders attend the Sergeants Major Academy. These senior enlisted leaders can provide countless benefits in the development of the nation’s future close combat leadership.

The center’s core complex should include a world-class training facility comprising a combat conditioning and health facility similar to elite collegiate Division I sports’ programs. It should also have an enhanced and expanded, multiple hundred-thousand square foot infantry immersion simulation laboratory. This simulation facility should take the Camp Pendleton “tomato factory” and tactical decision kit models to an entirely new level: Think “tomato factory on steroids.” Additionally, the center should have combined arms urban and subterranean facilities similar to Marine Corps Base 29 Palms’ Range 230 and Range 220, as well as an artificially created jungle warfare training area. The complex should also include an additive manufacturing shop modeled on those recently used by ISIL, although projected forward to what a group like this will have in ten years. This shop should be part of the command’s joint close combat force experimentation laboratory. And the headquarters should have a subordinate command located at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, where each class will conduct three weeks of mountain and cold weather training.

The course design should consist of the following five phases:

Phase I: Core Foundation (four weeks in length and then integrated throughout the course, with a train-the-trainer approach)

Physical training and nutrition on par with Division I collegiate athletes;

Hand-to-hand close combat instruction;

Teaching the students how to train their small units;

How the brain works, with emphasis on decision-making and the brain under extreme stress;

Human factors and Killology;

Threat doctrine focused on China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as Al Qaeda, ISIL, and other violent extremist organizations;

Marksmanship, day and night (daily repetitions);

Joint command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;

Joint kinetic combined arms integration;

Joint non-kinetic, or information warfare, capabilities integration;

Joint assault support — waterborne, surface, and aircraft — integration;

Manned-unmanned teaming integration;

Additive manufacturing impact on combat;

Tactical combat casualty care;

And Phase I comprehensive physical, mental and psychological exam; must pass to advance.

Phase II: Urban Combat Foundation (three weeks, with JSOC operator mentors)

Case Studies: Monte Cassino (1944), Okinawa (1945), Seoul (1950), Hue (1968), Baghdad (2003), Najaf (2004), Fallujah (2004-2007), Ramadi (2004-2007), Al Qaim and Tal Afar (2005), Sadr City (2008), and Mosul (2017);

Eighty small unit, force-on-force, combat simulation repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;

Eighty small unit live-fire repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;
Inter-service and Special Operations Command urban combat competition;

And Phase II comprehensive physical, mental and psychological exam.

Phase III: Thick Vegetation and Jungle Combat Foundation (three weeks in length, with JSOC operator mentors)

Case Studies: Guadalcanal (1942), Normandy bocage (1944), Leyte (1944), Ia Drang Valley (1965), Binh Nghia (1966-1967), Cu Chi (1966-1967), Khe Sanh (1968), and Sangin (2010-2011);
Eighty small unit, force-on-force, combat simulation repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;

Eighty small unit live-fire repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;
Inter-service and SOCOM thick vegetation and jungle combat competition;

And Phase III comprehensive physical, mental and psychological exam.

Phase IV: Mountain and/or Cold Weather Combat Foundation (three weeks in length, Bridgeport, California, with JSOC operator mentors)

Case Studies: Liri Valley (1944), Ardennes counter-offensive (1944-1945), Chosin Reservoir (1950), Khe Sanh (1968), Dong Ap Bia (1969), Shah-i-kot Valley (2002), Abbas Ghar (2005), Wanat (2008), Ganjgal (2009), and Kamdesh (2009);

Eighty small unit, force-on-force, combat simulation repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;

Eighty small unit live-fire repetitions for each student based on the above case studies;

Inter-service and Special Operations Command mountain and/or cold weather combat competition;

And Phase IV comprehensive physical, mental and psychological exam; must pass to advance.

Phase V: Certification Week and Graduation Ceremony (one week in length, with JSOC operator mentors)

Every student must pass a final comprehensive physical, mental and psychological exam to receive certification as a U.S. close combat leader;

Graduates are given special recognition in their records as one of America’s close combat leaders, promotion priority, and monthly close combat leader pay.

Establishing a joint close combat leader training center with the proposed leadership and instructor cadre, who have access to world-class facilities on par with those that exist for collegiate athletes and the services’ aviation components at Fallon Naval Air Station, Nellis Air Force Base, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, is a long overdue and vital step. This step will ensure that Gen. Dunford’s intent to never again send America’s close combat units into a fair fight is met. Additionally, in one of, if not the most rapidly changing and complex security environment the U.S. military has ever encountered, this step will ensure America’s close combat units can constantly learn, adapt, and share the best tactics, techniques, and procedures to gain maximum advantage against all potential adversaries.

Retired Major General Bob Scales is a former Commandant of the Army War College, an artilleryman and author of the book Scales on War: The Future of America’s Military at Risk, published by the Naval Institute Press.

Scott Cuomo is a Marine Infantry Officer and MAGTF Planner currently participating in the Commandant of the Marine Corps Strategist Program at Georgetown University.

Jeff Cummings is a Marine Infantry Officer and currently serves as a Military Faculty Advisor at The Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps University.

I think this is a great idea for training a new generation of leaders in our ground forces. I only pray something like this would not be corrupted like the Army's elite training schools have (forgive me, I don't belive two women "passed" Ranger School). A good ides for debate, but we must again understand what we have the armed forces for:

"...to win our wars."

I'll call myself guilty here....

If I have one addiction, it’s books. Since I was a 10 year old, I’ve loved to read novels, then non-fiction, biographies, and concentrating on military, intelligence, and politics. And I currently have around one-hundred books on my “to read” bookshelf. Ill get to them eventually, but I’m amazed to find there is a term for my obsession.

The Japanese word describes piling up books to save for later ... even if you'll never actually read them.


"Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity." – A. Edward Newton, author, publisher, and collector of 10,000 books.

Are you one of us? A master of tsundoku? Mine takes the shape of the aspirational stack by my bedside table – because I am going to read every night before bed, of course, and upon waking on the weekends. Hahaha. My tsundoku also takes shape in cookbooks ... even though I rarely cook from recipes. And I think I most fervently practice tsundoku when I buy three or four novels to pile in my suitcase for a five-day vacation. Sometimes not even one sees its spine cracked.

Thank heavens the Japanese have a word to describe people like us: tsundoku. Doku comes from a verb that can be used for "reading," while tsun "to pile up." The ol' piling up of reading things.

"The phrase 'tsundoku sensei' appears in text from 1879 according to the writer Mori Senzo," Professor Andrew Gerstle, a teacher of pre-modern Japanese texts at the University of London, explains to BBC. "Which is likely to be satirical, about a teacher who has lots of books but doesn't read them." Even so, says Gerstle, the term is not currently used in a mocking way.

Tom Gerken points out at BBC that English may in fact seem to have a similar word in "bibliomania," but there are actually differences. "While the two words may have similar meanings, there is one key difference," he writes. "Bibliomania describes the intention to create a book collection, tsundoku describes the intention to read books and their eventual, accidental collection."

Mmm hmm, guilty as charged.

It's interesting to consider the future of books right now – and the potential fate of words like tsundoku. We have dedicated e-readers and phones and tablets that could easily spell doom for the printed page. We have tiny houses and a major minimalism movement, both of which would seem to shun the piling of books that may go eternally unread. We have increasing awareness about resources and "stuff" in general; is there room for stacks of bound paper in the modern world?

While generally uncluttery, treehugging me thinks that transferring my tsundoku to a list of digital editions rather than a stack of physical ones might be the way to go ... but the truth is, real books that one can hold in the hands are one of the things that I am loathe to abandon. I love the smell, the weight, the turning of pages. I love being able to easily flip back a few pages to reread a sentence that persists in my memory. And maybe, apparently, I love buying books that, ok, maybe I don't seem to actually read.

So here's the deal I've made with myself. I will resist fast fashion and crummy unsustainable food and a bunch of plastic crap that I don't need. And in return, I will allow myself to engage in some tsundoku – besides, it's not actually a waste because of course, I'm going to get to that teetering stack of books someday, really! And if the Japanese have a poetic word for it, it must be alright.

I’ll confess here, I’m guilty. I love books, they can bury me with a good bio or Tom Clancy novel with me. And like caffeine, I can think of worse addictions.

Officer Down

Police Officer Anthony Christie
Savannah Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch Friday, May 25, 2018
Age 37
Tour 2 years

Police Officer Anthony Christie was killed when his patrol car was struck by a tractor-trailer.

He had responded to a head-on collision on I-16, near Dean Forest Road. He was assisting at the scene of the collision and was seated in his patrol car when it was struck by a tractor-trailer.

Officer Christie was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Savannah Police Department for two years. He is survived by his wife.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

There's only room for one hysterical queen in this band....

Thankfully, that was Freddy Mercury.

In an era of semi-talented morons who call themselves artist, Mercury was the true item. His music writing was incredible, and his voice was nothing short of astonishing. I remember seeing him when I watched Live Aid in 1985:



Taken far too soon, one of the more famous victims of AIDS in the 1980s. But going back to his talent, someone put this video on YouTube. It segregates the voices from the instruments and other noises. What you hear is pure Freddy Mercury. Enjoy.



In November, Bohemian Rhapsody premiers, and the wife and I will spend the money and inconvenience to go see it live in the theater. Here are two of the trailers.





A rare occasion of actually looking forward to a Hollywood production!

Have a great weekend!

Officer Down

Senior Special Agent Paul Scott Ragsdale
United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Government
End of Watch Thursday, May 24, 2018
Age 41
Tour 16 years

Senior Special Agent Paul "Scott" Ragsdale suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in control and arrest techniques training at Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas.

He suddenly collapsed during the training. He was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, in Grapevine, where he passed away.

Special Agent Ragsdale had served with the ATF for 16 years and was assigned to the Dallas Field Division. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

What's going on in the World Today 180801

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA

Boeing Delivers Multiple Laser Weapon Systems To Warfighters

Laser weapons are moving from development and testing to production and deployment, with the need to counter the growing threat from small unmanned aircraft leading the way.
Boeing has delivered multiple Compact Laser Weapon Systems (CLWS) to the U.S. Marine Corps for testing by an operational unit.

With power levels of 2-10 kW, the modular CLWS is one of the first high-energy laser system to begin the transition from development to production. But Boeing is also moving ahead with work on more powerful tactical and strategic laser weapons, says Ron Dauk, directed energy program manager.

CLWS uses industrial fiber lasers packaged by Boeing with a small beam director and integrated power and thermal management to produce a system that stands alone, or can be installed in a container or mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle.

The system is being used to train soldiers and show the capability that laser weapons bring to the battlefield.

“It gives you a low cost per shot against quadcopters and a deep magazine,” Dauk says. “As long as there is power, it can keep firing...”

AFRICA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

ASIA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

EUROPE

Pentagon announces $200 million in aid for Ukraine

US soldiers march along main Khreshchatyk Street during during a military parade to celebrate Independence Day in Kiev, Ukraine, Aug. 24, 2017. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Days after President Donald Trump challenged whether the U.S. should honor its Article 5 collective defense commitments to defend tiny NATO member Montenegro, the Pentagon reassured its Eastern European allies it would continue to be a deterrent presence against Russian aggression and committed an additional $200 million to the defense of Ukraine.

The funds will go toward “training, equipment and advisory efforts to build the defensive capacity of Ukraine’s forces,” the Pentagon said in a statement Friday.

The new funds bring the total amount of U.S. assistance to $1 billion since Russian-backed forces invaded Crimea in 2014...

EU signs its biggest free trade deal with Japan

The European Union and Japan have signed one of the world's biggest free trade deals, covering nearly a third of the world's GDP and 600 million people.

One of the biggest EU exports to Japan is dairy goods, while cars are one of Japan's biggest exports...

LATIN/SOUTH AMERICA

Communist-run Cuba starts rolling out internet on mobile phones

HAVANA (Reuters) - Communist-run Cuba has started providing internet on the mobile phones of select users as it aims to roll out the service nationwide by year-end, in a further step toward opening one of the Western Hemisphere’s least connected countries.

Journalists at state-run news outlets were among the first this year to get mobile internet, provided by Cuba’s telecoms monopoly, as part of a wider campaign for greater internet access that new President Miguel Diaz-Canel has said should boost the economy and help Cubans defend their revolution.

Analysts said broader web access will also ultimately weaken the government’s control of what information reaches people in the one-party island state that has a monopoly on the media. Cuba frowns on public dissent and blocks access to dissident websites.

“It’s been a radical change,” said Yuris Norido, 39, who reports for several state-run news websites and the television. “I can now update on the news from wherever I am, including where the news is taking place.”

Certain customers, including companies and embassies, have also been able to buy mobile data plans since December, according to the website of Cuban telecoms monopoly ETECSA, which has not broadly publicized the move.

ETECSA has said it will expand mobile internet to all its 5 million mobile phone customers, nearly half of Cuba’s population, by the end of this year. ETECSA did not reply to a request for more details for this story.

Whether because of a lack of cash, a long-running U.S. trade embargo or concerns about the flow of information, Cuba has lagged behind in web access. Until 2013, internet was largely only available to the public at tourist hotels in Cuba...

AFGHANISTAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

CHINA

In China, Unweaving the Tangled Web of Local Debt

Highlights

- A slower economy, sluggish construction growth, weaker local government revenue and a sharp jump in maturing debt could boost the risk of default for some local government-related debt, particularly in the central and southwest regions.
- Despite previous announcements, Beijing may step in to assist or even bail out some loans if defaults accelerate.

- The urgency of the risk will compel the central government to accelerate efforts to revamp the country's tax structure, but its ability will be limited by the uncertain economic situation.

The sword of Damocles is hanging over Chinese local governments. After the 2008 financial crisis, Beijing began embracing economic stimulation as it scrambled to prop up growth and protect its near-universal employment. In doing this, the central authorities demanded that local governments bear the brunt of the fiscal and financial responsibilities for road, railway and other infrastructure projects; it rewarded them with lucrative credit and looser oversight amid a skyrocketing real estate market. A decade later, local debt – and the tangled web behind some of the loans – has become the greatest pain to the economy as local revenue fails to keep pace with spending, investment returns fall and the property market dips. And all of these are plucking at the single thread holding the sword over the heads of local governments, threatening the once unimaginable: default – along with all the resulting social and political fallout...

IRAN

Iran Takes U.S. to Court Over Nuclear Deal and Reimposed Sanctions

Iran has sued the United States at the International Court of Justice in a new, if dubious, strategy to nullify the nuclear sanctions reimposed by President Trump, which are starting to inflict pain on Iran’s already troubled economy.

The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, said in a statement on Tuesday that the lawsuit was based on a treaty signed by Iran and the United States more than a half-century ago — well before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the American-backed shah and ushered in the prolonged estrangement in relations between the countries.

The United States vowed to fight what it called a “baseless” lawsuit.

Mr. Trump ordered the nuclear sanctions reimposed on May 8 as part of an announcement withdrawing his government from the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by Iran and major powers, including the United States, under the Obama administration.

Mr. Trump has assailed that agreement, which lifted the sanctions in return for Iran’s verifiable pledges to use nuclear power peacefully, as “the worst deal,” despite support for it by the other participants, including Britain, France and Germany, major American allies...

Iran: Currency Reaches New Low

What Happened: Iran's rial reached a historic new low July 30, trading at an average of 112,000 rials to one U.S. dollar on the black market, Bloomberg reported.

Why It Matters: Iranian officials are at a loss for how to keep Iran's currency from continuing to depreciate in value and cause further instability in the country.

Background: Following its departure from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the United States has targeted Tehran with sanctions, causing market instability in the country.



IRAQ

Iraq's Water Crisis Gives the Public One More Reason to Protest

Highlights

- Water shortages will plague Iraq throughout the summer, causing a decline in agricultural production and a greater risk of social unrest in the southern part of the country.

- Political gridlock in Baghdad will impede progress on water management, while fighting over water at the provincial level will influence discourse at the federal level.

- Turkey will focus on maintaining and advancing its own strategy in Iraq without making any substantial changes over its water use....

ISRAEL

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

KOREAN PENNSULEA

Back to the Basics: Above and Beyond CVID with North Korea

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s high-profile post-summit visit to North Korea—the first to follow Kim and Trump’s initial meeting—ended without much progress, revealing the Trump administration’s struggle to craft a strategy that will jumpstart denuclearization efforts. Nearly a month after the June summit in Singapore, both the US and North Korea are still sending mixed messages as to whether and how they will approach denuclearization, fueling skepticism about North Korea’s willingness to give up its nuclear weapons and hinting at the US’s lack of a coherent strategy in dealing with the regime.

The US has continuously reiterated its goal, before and after the June summit, to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea. Contrary to its spoken commitment, however, no discussion of CVID appears in official documents shared or co-drafted with North Korea, inviting criticism of Trump’s loud yet (allegedly) ineffectual negotiating skills from those who believe that a deal could and should be made on the firm basis of CVID.

The Trump administration may still be occupied with the concept of CVID. In truth, though, CVID is no longer a realistic goal with North Korea and it is highly unlikely that Kim would accede to such an arrangement. We need to face this reality and recognize that denuclearization will not and cannot be permanent or irreversible as long as there is a desire to reverse it. Furthermore, denuclearization will not by itself put an end to the longstanding North Korean threat to the outside world. Any denuclearization deal—big or small, vague or specific—with the current North Korean regime is almost certainly reversible, but such a deal with a normal North Korea would be considerably less so. In this regard, future negotiations with North Korea should focus on not just denuclearization but also the normalization of the country...



North Korea working on new missiles, US officials say, despite thaw

North Korea appears to be building new ballistic missiles despite recent warming ties with the Trump administration and pledges to denuclearise, reports say.

Unnamed US officials told the Washington Post that spy satellites had spotted continuing activity at a site that has produced ballistic missiles.

Reuters quotes an official as saying it is unclear how far the work has gone.

After the first meeting between sitting leaders from the two countries, the two men pledged to work towards denuclearisation. Mr Trump later said North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat".

But Mr Trump was criticised at home for making concessions without securing any firm commitment from Mr Kim to end the nuclear and missile programmes.

These are not the first reports that North Korea may be continuing its weapons programme, casting doubt on the real impact of the summit in Singapore...

RUSSIA



Russia fears leak of hypersonic missile secrets to West

Media captionRussia released military footage - including its new ultra-fast missiles

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has raided a space research facility after a suspected leak of hypersonic missile secrets to Western spies.
The state space agency Roskosmos said its security staff were co-operating with FSB officers on a criminal case.

Russia's Kommersant daily says about 10 staff at a Roskosmos facility called TsNIIMash are under suspicion. A director's office was searched.
Hypersonic missiles fly at more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

On Thursday the Russia defence ministry released video of two new hypersonic missile systems - called Kinzhal and Avangard. Both can deliver nuclear warheads.
But Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer told the BBC he was very sceptical about their effectiveness and dismissed the video as "propaganda". He called the spy investigation "politically embarrassing".
The suspects in the secrets case could be charged with high treason, Kommersant reports...

MIDDLE EAST GENERAL

Displaced Syrians march close to Israel; airstrike kills 10

BEIRUT — Dozens of Syrians displaced by a government offensive marched toward the Israel-occupied Golan Heights in a rare peaceful protest on Tuesday, shortly after a suspected Russian airstrike hit a school serving as a shelter in southwestern Syria, killing at least 10 people, according to activists.

The marchers waved white flags at Israeli soldiers as they walked toward the frontier in the Golan Heights, demanding protection from the relentless airstrikes, before they turned back.

The brief protest came as Syrian and Russian airstrikes have intensified in the Quneitra countryside and the southwestern Daraa province.

Tuesday’s airstrike hit in the village of Ain el-Tineh in Quneitra province, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the Israeli frontier, according to a Syrian search and rescue team...

CYBER ISSUES

When It Comes to Cyberattacks, Iran Plays the Odds

Global Security Analyst, Stratfor As tensions rise with the United States, hackers in Iran are expected to boost their attacks in the coming months.(Shutterstock)

Highlights

-While Iran is capable of carrying out conventional military action, cyberspace is the more likely theater for its current conflict with the United States.

-Iran's cyber threat groups tend to use unsophisticated yet tried-and-true tactics while targeting many individuals.
Awareness, knowledge and preparation are the best tools to defend against such tactics.

-The war of words between the United States and Iran appears to be heating up in cyberspace. In recent weeks, the tension has grown palpable as the United States leads the drive to reimpose sanctions on Iran beginning Aug. 6. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have traded heated threats with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.

Though both sides are certainly capable of direct physical attacks, conventional warfare is not in their immediate interests. Iran has embraced cyberattacks as part of its asymmetric response to its Middle Eastern rivals and the United States, and this latest round of belligerence will likely be played out through cyber actions. And even though Iran doesn't pose as great a threat as China or Russia, its persistence and reliance on unsophisticated, yet tried-and-true tactics allow it to be successful in both cyber espionage and disruptive cyberattacks...



TERRORISM

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

MISC

How Silicon Valley Became a Den of Spies

The West Coast is a growing target of foreign espionage. And it’s not ready to fight back.

SAN FRANCISCO—In the fall of 1989, during the Cold War’s wan and washed-out final months, the Berlin Wall was crumbling—and so was San Francisco. The powerful Loma Prieta earthquake, the most destructive to hit the region in more than 80 years, felled entire apartment buildings. Freeway overpasses shuddered and collapsed, swallowing cars like a sandpit. Sixty-three people were killed and thousands injured. And local Soviet spies, just like many other denizens of the Bay Area, applied for their share of the nearly $3.5 billion in relief funds allocated by President George H.W. Bush.

FBI counterintelligence saw an opening, recalled Rick Smith, who worked on the Bureau’s San Francisco-based Soviet squad from 1972 to 1992. When they discovered that a known Soviet spy, operating under diplomatic cover, had filed a claim, Smith and several other bureau officials posed as federal employees disbursing relief funds to meet with the spy. The goal was to compromise him with repeated payments, then to turn him. “We can offer your full claim,” Smith told the man. “Come meet us again.” He agreed.

But the second time, the suspected intel officer wasn’t alone. FBI surveillance teams reported that he was being accompanied by a Russian diplomat known to the FBI as the head of Soviet counterintelligence in San Francisco. The operation, Smith knew, was over—the presence of the Soviet spy boss meant that the FBI’s target had reported the meeting to his superiors—but they had to go through with the meeting anyway. The two Soviet intelligence operatives walked into the office room. The undercover FBI agents, who knew the whole affair had turned farcical, greeted the Soviet counterintelligence chief.

“What,” he replied, “You didn’t expect me to come?”

We tend to think of espionage in the United States as an East Coast phenomenon: shadowy foreign spies working out of embassies in Washington, or at missions to the United Nations in New York; dead drops in suburban Virginia woodlands, and surreptitious meetings on park benches in Manhattan’s gray dusk.

But foreign spies have been showing up uninvited to San Francisco and Silicon Valley for a very long time. According to former U.S. intelligence officials, that’s true today more than ever. In fact, they warn—especially because of increasing Russian and Chinese aggressiveness, and the local concentration of world-leading science and technology firms—there’s a full-on epidemic of espionage on the West Coast right now. And even more worrisome, many of its targets are unprepared to deal with the growing threat.

Unlike on the East Coast, foreign intel operations here aren’t as focused on the hunt for diplomatic secrets, political intelligence or war plans. The open, experimental, cosmopolitan work and business culture of Silicon Valley in particular has encouraged a newer, “softer,” “nontraditional” type of espionage, said former intelligence officials—efforts that mostly target trade secrets and technology. “It’s a very subtle form of intelligence collection that is more business connected and oriented,” one told me. But this economic espionage is also ubiquitous. Spies “are very much part of the everyday environment” here, said this person. Another former intelligence official told me that, at one point recently, a full 20 percent of all the FBI’s active counterintelligence-related intellectual property cases had originated in the Bay Area. (The FBI declined to comment for this story.)...