K9 Down

K9 Eli
Gwinnett County Police Department, Georgia
Breed Belgian Malinois
Gender Male
Age 9
End of Watch Thursday, May 23, 2019

K9 Eli died after suffering heat exhaustion while tracking a fleeing suspect in the area of North Crestview Drive SW and Grayson Parkway at approximately 3:00 pm

Gwinnett County officers were assisting Snellville officers with a vehicle pursuit. K9 Eli was deployed to track the suspect when the suspect fled from the vehicle on foot. K9 Eli was rushed to a local emergency veterinarian when he started to show signs of distress 30 minutes into the track. His condition deteriorated at the vet and he passed away.

K9 Eli had served with the Gwinnett County Police Department for eight years.

Rest in Peace Eli…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

While technially he is driving drunk...

This don’t count.

The late country singer George Jones was famous for taking a riding lawnmower to the bar. Got a new one here.

Man stole electric shopping cart, drove it to bar to avoid DWI

HOUMA - A Livingston Parish man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly stole an electric shopping cart from a Walmart because he thought it would save him from getting a DWI.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office says it responded to a bar along Corporate Drive in Houma around midnight after getting a report that someone had shown up in the parking lot riding the stolen cart. Deputies found the cart parked between two other vehicles in the bar's parking lot.

Deputies soon confronted 32-year-old Brice Williams of Denham Springs, who was suspected of taking the cart for a joyride. Williams admitted to stealing the cart from the nearby Walmart, saying he had come from another bar and feared he would get arrested for DWI if he drove his own vehicle to the bar on Corporate.

Williams was booked on one count of unauthorized use of a moveable. His bond was set at $2,500.

Gotta say, he at least stayed away from a car. Less damage, but pal, next time try an Uber.

So there is hope we can see a crime and act...

Over twenty plus years on the streets, I've initiated traffic stops for countless minor violations, that have led to greater crimes (narcotics, felony warrants, etc). I think it's simply good law enforcement, if we see something, we must do something. And it's looking like SCOTUS may actually agree with an officer doing his job.

Supreme Court seems prepared to rule for police in traffic-stop case

The Supreme Court on Monday seemed prepared to say it was reasonable for police to pull over a vehicle registered to someone with a suspended driver’s license even if officers don’t know for sure who is driving.

The court heard a case from Kansas that could have a big impact on when police may stop a motorist who has not otherwise broken the law, sorting through phrases such as “common sense” (18 mentions), “reasonable suspicion” (44 mentions) and “assume” and “assumption” (25 mentions).

Kansas Solicitor General Toby Crouse said it was “common sense” for sheriff’s deputy Mark Mehrer to stop a truck owned by Charles Glover after a routine license plate check showed Glover had a suspended license.

“It would have been poor police work for Deputy Mehrer not to initiate the stop in this case and investigate further to confirm or dispel his suspicion,” Crouse said.

Justice Department lawyer Michael R. Huston agreed. “The purpose of reasonable suspicion is simply to conduct further investigation,” Huston told the court.

But what if a law-abiding citizen was simply borrowing the truck? “There’s literally nothing she could do to avoid being seized,” said lawyer Sarah E. Harrington, representing Glover.

As it turns out, Glover was driving near Lawrence, Kan., in 2016, and Mehrer charged him with habitual driving with a suspended license (and then let him drive away). The Kansas Supreme Court, however, said the officer had not done enough to justify the stop.

All that is needed for a traffic stop, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled, is reasonable suspicion that the law is being broken, which can be a low hurdle. But the Kansas Supreme Court said that Mehrer didn’t even have that: He had only an “assumption” that the driver behind the wheel must be Glover.

“The problem is not that the state necessarily needs significantly more evidence; it needs some more evidence,” the state court ruled...

OK, I run the license plate and it comes back with an expired registration, do I have find additional reasonable suspicion to initiate a stop? Or if I see one brake light out, do I have to wait for the next one to burn out before I pull the vehicle over? Or, if the vehicle and driver match the suspect in an armed robbery that just occurred three blocks away, is this not incumbent upon me, as a police officer, to detain the driver for further investigation?

...Some justices, particularly Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, seemed to agree with their Kansas counterparts about the Constitution’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Why should the court second-guess the trial judge, who said that in his experience, many people lawfully drive vehicles not registered to them, Sotomayor asked.

Kagan hypothesized about a municipality that required motorists to carry their licenses with them at all times, but a survey showed only 50 percent of teenagers did so. “So now it’s like common sense that if you see a teenager, she won’t be carrying her driver’s license with her,” Kagan said. “Does that give the police officer the ability to stop every teenager that he sees?”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wondered whether it might be more likely that the person behind the wheel was not the registered owner with the suspended license.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said he was troubled that Mehrer did not testify, so there was no questioning about whether his experience or training caused him to “assume” the driver was Glover.

“There are no facts in the record at all, zero,” Gorsuch said. On the other hand, if all an officer had to do was say some “magic words” about his experience or training, “what are we fighting about here?” he asked...

Well I'm not surprised the Democratic judges question simple law enforcement actions. But again, Justice Sotomayor, why should you second guess the cop on the street with years of experience? Someone who knows the area, the usual suspects, and how they operate. If, in this example, the driver was not the operator with a suspended licence, he has been delayed for a few minutes. I've pulled over countless vehicles for a warrant on the license plate, the suspect is "John Smith, B/M, DOB 4/4/87," and the driver is actually "Juan Valdez, H/M, DOB 2/7/92." OK Justice Sotomayor, if I stop the vehicle and Mr Valdez is the driver, I, as part of my duties, must check him for wants and warrants. Can be very important, see how Timothy McVeigh was caught after the Oklahoma City bombing. If I find out he's wanted, I book him, would you throw out the arrest because I didn't have enough "reasonable suspicion" to stop?

Hopefully SCOTUS does the right thing. I would hate to see another action to bling cops in doing their duties.

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Troy P. Chisum
Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Illinois
End of Watch Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Age 39
Tour 4 years, 6 months

Deputy Sheriff Troy Chisum was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call in the 5200 block of East Troy Road in Avon at 2:00 pm.

He was shot by a subject who then barricaded himself inside the home. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody without incident the next day.

Deputy Chisum served with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for 4-1/2 years. He also served as a paramedic with the Fulton County EMA and as a member of the West Central Special Response Team.

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. 

Officer Down

Police Officer Michael Vincent Langsdorf
North County Police Cooperative, Missouri
End of Watch Sunday, June 23, 2019
Age 40
Tour 17 years
Badge 347

Police Officer Michael was shot and killed after responding to a call at 6250 Page Avenue involving a man attempting to cash a fraudulent check at 4:40 pm.

He was shot several minutes after contacting the suspect at the business. The man who shot him was taken into custody.

Officer Langsdorf had served with the North County Police Cooperative for only three months and had previously served with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for 17 years. He is survived by his two children, fiancée, and parents.

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 Biggie
Florida Department of Corrections, Florida
End of Watch Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Breed Bloodhound
Gender Male
Age 5

K9 Biggie died after suffering from heat stroke while conducting a track during a training exercise at the South Florida Reception Center in Doral, Florida.

He was rushed to a local veterinarian when he began showing signs of distress. He was unable to recover as a result of the heat exhaustion and passed away later in the day.

K9 Biggie had served with the South Florida Reception Center's K9 Team for over five years.

Rest in Peace Biggie…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

Corporal Jose Luis "Speedy" Espericueta, Jr.
Mission Police Department, Texas
End of Watch Thursday, June 20, 2019
Age 44
Tour 18 years
Badge 350

Corporal Jose Espericueta was shot and killed as he and other officers attempted to apprehend a subject who had threatened family members.

A woman flagged down officers in the area of Stewart Road and Business Highway 83 and told them that her son had just shot at her car with a handgun. Corporal Espericueta and other officers responded to the scene and located the subject, who then fled on foot.

As the man ran he turned and opened fire, striking Corporal Espericueta multiple times. Other officers returned fire and killed the man.

Corporal Espericueta had served with the Mission Police Department for 13 years and had previously served with the San Benito Police Department for five years. 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. 

K9 Down

K9 Doby
Fairfax County Police Department, Virginia
End of Watch Friday, February 22, 2019
Breed Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix
Gender Male
Age 2
Tour 11 months

K9 Doby died after suffering a medical emergency while on an active track of two robbery suspects in the 2000 block of Arlington Drive in the Mount Vernon area.

He and his handler had tracked the suspects several buildings away and were attempting to reacquire their scent when K9 Doby suddenly collapsed. His handler immediately initiated CPR before transporting him to an emergency veterinary clinic. K9 Doby was not able to be revived.

K9 Doby had served with the Fairfax County Police Department for 11 months and was certified in patrol and narcotics detection.

Rest in Peace Doby…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

Her Majesty's Royal Marines are having a change of life...

When I visited my friend Bill in England, March of 2006, we saw a couple of Royal Marine recruiters on a stand. Wished them well, it's a tough sell, and the weather was miserable. But no ones questions that is a force to be reckoned with.

Found this and it looks like the Royal Marines will adjust for the 21st Century. Hopefully it's a good fit.

Royal Marines to be equipped with new weapons and to undergo a complete rebrand

THE ROYAL Marines are to undergo a complete rebrand, with a new maritime role and fresh combat uniform

Eric Sof·Military·Nov 4, 2019

The need for a full rebrand of the British Royal Marines comes as commanders of the 350-year-old Corps seek to end the blurring with Army counterparts and adopt a more “commando raid” approach, with smaller units using hi-tech kit.

The future Royal Marines plans will see the green berets provide more direct support to British Special Operations Forces. A very first move should be positioning of units onboard of the pre-positioned motherships, ready to strike in areas such as the Mediterranean and the Gulf. Other plans should include the wider integration of autonomous platforms, such as remote-controlled vessels and drones, while, at the tactical level, they are to be issued with a new digitally-enhanced camouflage combat uniform which will be distinctive to them...

“...The scale and ambition of our transformation is significant. Nothing is off-limits and we aspire to be at the cutting edge of defence,” said Royal Marines Commandant General Major General Matt Holmes.

Senior sources confirmed that the new “force distribution” policy was inspired by recent US Marine Corps guidance. Ironically, however, it will mark the green berets’ return to their original “commando” roots. Currently, the regiment uses concentrated force to pit its strength against an enemy’s weakness.

Further plans include adoption of a more “special operations” approach by using more and smaller units, complemented by technology such as the use of remote-controlled boats to set up a decoy while another unit speeds ashore with a remote-operated UAV to help identify their targets. This has to be reached within the next three years.

The other major change is related to the basic Royal Marines unit, a Troop. It will be reduced from 30 operators to 16.

The regiment currently operates one specialist maritime unit, 42 Commando, which is deployed in small groups in areas such as the Gulf and mounts maritime interdiction operations against piracy and to protect shipping from potential Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz...

Best of luck with this work gentlemen, and on your deployments. And thank you for being the one nation on Earth the USA can rely on when the going is tough.

Officer Down

Trooper Jerry Louis Smith, Jr.
Nebraska State Patrol, Nebraska
End of Watch Thursday, June 20, 2019
Age 51
Tour 5 years
Badge 373

Trooper Jerry Smith was killed in a vehicle crash when his patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle on Highway 26, two miles west of Bridgeport, in Morrill County.

An oncoming pickup truck crossed the center line after swerving to avoid another car that had stopped to make a left turn. The driver of the pickup truck was also killed in the crash.

Trooper Smith was a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Bronze Star recipient. He had served with the Nebraska State Patrol for five years and is believed to be the oldest recruit to complete the academy. He is survived by his wife and two adult 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 191104

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA

How the United States Could Lose a Great-Power War
The U.S. military is focused on future fights against China and Russia—but it could be playing right into their hands.

BY ELBRIDGE COLBY, DAVID OCHMANEK | OCTOBER 29, 2019, 11:12 AM

The U.S. armed forces are now preparing for an age of great-power competition and rightly so. The 2018 National Defense Strategy shows the Defense Department is focused on the threats posed by Russia and especially China to U.S. interests, allies, and established partners such as Taiwan.

For now, U.S. forces appear poorly postured to meet these challenges. That’s because both Russia and China have developed formidable networks of missiles, radars, electronic warfare systems, and the like to degrade and potentially even block U.S. forces’ ability to operate in the Western Pacific and Eastern Europe to defend allies and partners in those regions. China in particular is developing increasingly impressive capabilities to project military farther afield, including through systems such as aircraft carriers, long-range aviation, and nuclear-powered submarines. Together, these forces have tilted the military balance over places such as Taiwan and the Baltic states from unquestioned U.S. dominance to something much more competitive.

The question is what to do about it. Left unchecked, China or Russia may seek to exploit these advantages to coerce or even conquer U.S. allies or Taiwan. In response, some influential voices in the government are suggesting strategies of horizontal escalation or cost imposition—approaches that would enlarge the battlefield to go after things the other side values beyond the original zone of fighting. Indeed, there are strains of such arguments in some official documents coming from quarters of the Pentagon, motivated by hopes of fending off proposals that would threaten their Command’s place in the packing order or disrupt their Service’s carefully crafted investment plans or ways of operating. Likewise, some theorists with influence in parts of the defense establishment promote such strategies in the form of proposals for “offshore balancing” or “offshore control...”
AFRICA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

Are Russia and China the Entente Cordiale of the 21st Century?

By Franz-Stefan Gady for the EastWest Institute

In September, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Command sent 1,600 troops, aircraft, tanks and other hardware to participate in this year's strategic exercise of the Russian Armed Forces. Dubbed Center-2019 (Tsentr-2019), the exercise took place from Sept. 16 to Sept. 21 in Russia's Central Military District and in neighboring Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.

The large PLA contingent was yet another indicator of the growing military ties between Beijing and Moscow and highlighted a warming trend in the military-to-military relations between the countries. The Russian military's strategic exercise the year before, Eastern-2018 (Vostok-2018), was not only the largest Russian military exercise in almost four decades, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, but also included the largest PLA contingent participating in Russian-led military drills to date: More than 3,500 PLA personnel, 900 pieces of heavy weaponry and 30 fixed-wing aircraft from the PLA's Northern Theater Command took part in the exercise, which simulated inter-state warfare.

The most notable feature of this year's Center-19, next to the participation of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Collective Security Treaty Organization member states — India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — has also been the emphasis on high-intensity combat and inter-state conflict. Although the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, stressed that the exercise was principally focused on "counter-terrorist" operations, the drill included repelling enemy airstrikes and counter-attacks against a conventionally armed state to the southwest of Russia. In other words, China and Russia are practicing to jointly defeat a nation-state enemy, if only at a minuscule scale.

It is another sign that the two countries may slowly be moving toward a de-facto Entente Cordiale, the 1904 Anglo-French agreement that paved the way for France and the United Kingdom to become allies against Germany and the Central Powers during the First World War. Just like France and Britain over a century ago, China and Russia are not treaty allies nor do they have any explicit defense commitments to come to the aid of one another if attacked. Nonetheless, pressured to cooperate by a perceived to be increasingly hostile United States, they, like France and the United Kingdom at the turn of the 19th/20th century, are slowly ending their mutual antagonism, despite divergent and conflicting interests, to jointly confront a common competitor...
ASIA

India: North Korean Malware Found in Recent Hacking Attempt of Nuclear Power Plant

Oct 31, 2019 | 16:23 GMT

What Happened: Malware linked to North Korean state actors was used in the hacking of India's Kudankulam nuclear power plant first reported in September, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. said Oct. 30. The organization added that critical information wasn't compromised, although an independent analyst said a second undisclosed facility was compromised. Separately, North Korea test-fired two short-range devices on Oct. 31 into the Sea of Japan. The projectiles traveled for 370 kilometers (230 miles) at a maximum altitude of 90 kilometers.

Why It Matters: Although it remains unclear whether the hack originated from North Korean actors or was deliberately targeting the plant, the attack may have been an attempt to obtain relevant knowledge for North Korea's civilian nuclear program to fuel economic development and energy independence. North Korea's 12th weapons test of 2019 came amid a breakdown of working-level talks with the United States in early October.

Background: The weapons test coincides with a South Korean military exercise that kicked off Oct. 28. Seoul and Pyongyang have been at odds in the past week over the fate of a joint tourism zone after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the partial demolition of the site last week.

EUROPE

Germany to tighten hate speech law to fight far-right violence
New measures will also include tougher rules on gun ownership and increasing funding for deradicalization programs.
BERLIN — The German government is set to beef up the country's online hate speech law as part of a broader set of measures to crack down on right-wing political violence.

"We're devastated by the most recent events this year," German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht told a news conference Wednesday, referring to the murder of a regional politician by a suspected neo-Nazi in June as well as a shooting rampage outside a synagogue and kebab shop earlier this month, which was streamed online and left two dead.

"But we can't just stop at being devastated," Lambrecht added.

The measures approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government this morning will further toughen up the country's hate speech law known as NetzDG, which was passed two years ago and is considered one of the strictest in the world.

The new measures will require social media providers to proactively inform law enforcement about illegal content such as death threats or the incitement of hatred on their platforms; currently, they only have to do so once victims have officially filed charges...

LATIN/SOUTH AMERICA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

AFGHANISTAN

To End the War in Afghanistan, the U.S. Reaches Out to Its Rivals

HIGHLIGHTS

- The prospects of a U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan has compelled both China and Russia to take a more active role in the peace negotiations.

- In doing so, Moscow and Beijing are also forging stronger relations with the Taliban, which the United States will try to leverage to ensure the insurgents uphold their end of an eventual peace deal.

As the United States searches for an exit from Afghanistan, its outreach to China and Russia points to its rivals' growing influence in shaping the endgame to its longest-ever conflict. On Oct. 25, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visited Moscow to discuss reviving the Afghan peace process with Russian, Chinese and Pakistani officials. China is also expected to host Taliban and Afghan government officials for talks next month.

A political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban remains the ultimate goal of U.S. policy in Afghanistan. And if and when that settlement is reached, it will likely include the insurgents joining a future power-sharing agreement in Kabul, which has, in turn, prompted China and Russia to establish stronger relations with the Taliban as well to advance their own counterterrorism objectives in the country. But as long as the United States maintains a military presence in Afghanistan, the prospects for lasting peace in the war-torn country will ultimately remain in Washington's hands. Though that doesn't mean Moscow and Beijing's growing ties with the Taliban won't come in handy, as it could help the United States build a regional consensus behind its Afghan peace process...

Afghanistan’s Last Jew Gets Ready for the Taliban—Again
Zabulon Simentov has seen it all, and now, like all Afghans, he must embrace a future filled with uncertainty and violence.

Zabulon Simentov recites from an old Torah scripture in the last synagogue in Kabul on April 1. EMRAN FEROZ FOR FOREIGN POLICY
KABUL—It’s Saturday, and Zabulon Simentov is sitting on a typical Afghan cushion in his small living room watching the news. When the anchor starts to talk about peace talks with the Taliban, Simentov shakes his head, muttering something incomprehensible. Normally, Simentov would offer tea to his guest, but not today. It’s Shabbat. For that reason, Simentov—who is believed to be Afghanistan’s last remaining Jew—must not use his old gas cooker. Of the switched-on television, Simentov says that someone else, a non-Jewish person, turned it on for him. Orthodox Jews would probably disagree with such a practice—observant Jews are not supposed to watch TV at all on Shabbat—but Simentov’s life has been all about defiance of tradition.

Simentov’s life has also been full of upheaval—imprisonment, abandonment, and a yearslong feud with Afghanistan’s only other Jew (now dead), an argument so vociferous that even the Taliban, during their former rule, could no longer stand their bickering and kicked them both out of prison. And now Simentov must contemplate more upheaval as his old antagonists, the Taliban, vie to return to power.

“These people brought a lot of bloodshed and terrorized Kabul and many other parts of the country. I believe that nobody with such a mindset could save Afghanistan,” Simentov told Foreign Policy in an interview earlier this year. With the Taliban now in control of about half of the country and the results of September’s election postponed, Simentov, like many other Kabul residents, fears the worst: a reinstallment of the 1990s Taliban regime. He said he supports current President Ashraf Ghani, a former international technocrat, because he is “against corruption” and “not a thief.” But as with so many Afghans—and as he has done in the past—Simentov appears ready to accept whatever may come and hope for the best, which in this case may be, at best, a slightly more moderate Taliban...

CHINA

China’s Global Critics Are Helping It Win
Beijing won’t tolerate dissent at home. But when foreigners criticize its geopolitical tactics, it listens.

Joshua EisenmanOctober 30, 2019, 3:48 PM

The American public has suddenly awoken to China’s pervasive influence over U.S. corporations. The alarm rang after the severe reaction to a tweet by the general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team in support of democracy in Hong Kong. Chinese demands are a phenomenon with which many companies, including the likes of Apple, Activision Blizzard, Nike, and Marriott, are well acquainted.

Since the Rockets episode, Chinese TV and streaming firms have blacked out the NBA—a cornerstone of U.S. soft power. The profit-obsessed NBA has become a symbol of the tensions that pit fundamental democratic principles such as free speech against capitalist greed. Beijing, it seems, has perfected the application of the saying attributed to Vladimir Lenin that, “The capitalists will sell us the rope to hang them with.”

But the United States is also awakening to another frightening truth about the Chinese government that may be equally hard to face. Contrary to the Cold War stereotype of a rigid, ossified dictatorship, China’s foreign-policy makers have adjusted quite well when they have encountered challenges—especially when Americans and other foreigners point them out...

For Uighur Muslims in China, Life Keeps Getting Harder
Concentration camps, surveillance, and spies keep the community under tight control.

Over the past several years, Chinese repression of ethnic Uighurs has become increasingly harsh. From sending them to detention camps in remote places to tracking the activities of their global diaspora, Beijing is making it more and more difficult for members of the predominantly Muslim minority to simply exist. With the plight of Uighurs again in the news after a member of the community, Ilham Tohti, won the European Parliament’s top human rights prize for his activism, Foreign Policy has collected its top reads on the subject.

At the beginning of the year, news that four Chinese provinces had removed their halal food standards dominated headlines on the subject. It was “a move heralded by government officials as fighting a fictional pan-halal trend under which Muslim influence was supposedly spreading into secular life,” wrote Foreign Policy’s James Palmer in January. The decision came as China also closed several mosques across the country, sparking protests.

This campaign against the Uighurs, explained an academic writing under the pseudonym Liwei Wu, is part of an effort to Sinicize not just the Uighur community, but other Muslim groups as well. In January, the author wrote, China even released an explicit five-year plan for doing so amid other efforts to limit religious freedoms across the country, including through “re-education camps for as many as a million Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province, demolition threats for a Hui Muslim mosque in Ningxia, and the closing of Protestant ‘mega-house churches’ in Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou...”

By Mixing Tech and Human Rights Sanctions on China, the White House Crosses the Rubicon

Reva Goujon
VP of Global Analysis, Stratfor
Nov 1, 2019 | 09:30 GMT

HIGHLIGHTS

- As the United States and China make a fresh attempt at a trade truce, a glaring omission from the so-called Phase 1 talks is the issue of whether the White House will ease export restrictions on American tech suppliers to Chinese tech giant Huawei.

- Even as the Trump White House may have originally intended to use at least parts of the Huawei blacklisting as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, the window for compromise is closing, spelling prolonged uncertainty for U.S. tech companies with heavy exposure to China.

- The reduced room for compromise is due in part to the trade and tech wars blending into human rights concerns, as complex global supply chains expose a number of Western and Chinese companies to accusations of facilitating Chinese digital authoritarianism.

- From Hong Kong to Xinjiang to Taiwan, multiple flashpoints in the Chinese periphery will favor policy hawks on China over the doves in Washington. At the same time, the theme of Chinese censorship and appropriation of American values in pop culture is drawing a broader swath of the American public into recognizing "the China issue."

- In this political climate, human rights-related sanctions against a growing list of strategic tech targets in China cannot easily be walked back.

IRAN

Iran: U.S. to Renew Sanctions Waivers for Iranian Civilian Nuclear Program, Report Says

Oct 31, 2019 | 12:12 GMT

What Happened: The United States will renew sanctions waivers for Iran's civilian nuclear program, allowing Chinese, Russian and European countries to continue operations in the country, including the Arak heavy water reactor conversion project, Reuters reported Oct. 30, citing sources.

Why It Matters: Previous U.S. sanctions waivers were scheduled to expire Oct. 29, which would have forced Iran to stop work on the Arak reactor. But instead of halting work at the plant, Tehran could have then decided to revert the reactor to its original design, which yields high-quality weapons-grade plutonium as a byproduct.

Background: The United States has been pursuing a strategy of maximum pressure against Iran since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in 2017. Washington withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal in 2018 and has been using sanctions pressure to drive down Iranian oil exports.

Hong Kong police fire tear gas to break up Halloween party protests

By Tom Westbrook and John Geddie

Police also used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters, many dressed in black and wearing now-banned face masks, in Nathan Road, one of the main arteries of Kowloon on the other side of the harbor.

Protesters have for five months taken to the streets of the Chinese-ruled city in a sometimes violent response to perceived Chinese meddling with its promised freedoms. This was the first time Lan Kwai Fong had been targeted.

Shouts of “Give us back Halloween!” rang out as police used their shields to push the crowds forward on the sloping, narrow streets, scene of a deadly New Year stampede nearly 27 years ago...

IRAQ

Iraqi protesters pack Baghdad square, anti-government movement gains momentum
Ahmed Aboulenein

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Iraqis protested in Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square on Tuesday for a fifth day, angered by reports of security forces killing demonstrators in the city of Kerbala and the prime minister’s refusal to call early elections.

It was the largest gathering in the capital since a second wave of demonstrations against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government and the ruling elite resumed on Friday. A populist cleric who helped install the premier called for his removal.

“With life and blood we defend you Iraq,” they chanted.

The crowd consisted mostly of young men, many draped in Iraqi flags. Surrounding streets brimmed with cars, taxis, motorcycles and tuk-tuks as more people made their way in.

Earlier, trade unions announced that they would call strikes, following the lead of lawyers and teachers...
ISRAEL

Israel: Netanyahu Warns of Iranian Long-Range Missile Deployments to Yemen

What Happened: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran is deploying long-range precision-strike missiles to Yemen, Haaretz reported Oct. 29.

Why It Matters: Netanyahu is likely using the issue of Iranian missile deployments to pressure his rival for the premiership, Benny Gantz, to form a unity government, but the prime minister's comments could also set the stage for preventive Israeli military action in Yemen.

Background: Israel has previously attacked Iranian-linked sites in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon that could host long-range missiles, but rarely announces its intentions before carrying out a strike.

KOREAN PENINSULA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

RUSSIA

Putin May Want to Be an Emperor, but Russia Isn’t an Imperial Power

Russia’s drive to expand its sphere of influence isn’t inevitable—or even in the country’s best interest.
BY ALEXANDER J. MOTYL | OCTOBER 28, 2019, 3:40 PM

To an observer in 2019, it may seem like Russia has always had—and will always have—an immutable interest in maintaining authoritarian control at home and imperial control abroad. According to this line of thinking, Russian President Vladimir Putin is merely the latest in a long line of Russian rulers to pursue his country’s natural priorities vigorously. The implications for the West are obvious. If Putin is simply drawing on the same playbook as any other Russian leader, the available responses are either accommodating his authoritarianism and expansionism or war—and no one wants war.

But what if Putin is not pursuing immutable and objectively definable Russian national interests? It could be that he is captive to the same pressures as all other leaders: perceptions, ideologies, institutional legacies, and historical developments that lead to policies that are not necessarily in the best interest of his country.

As anyone with an appreciation of Russian, or any, history knows, no state can pursue identical interests for the duration of its historical existence, because states and their surroundings are always changing. The Russia of today is not the Muscovy of 600 years ago. The Mongols are not the West. And, despite some superficial similarities, Putin is no Ivan the Terrible. Immutability is a fiction. At the same time, geography and strategy do matter. As a result, foreign policy becomes a function of geopolitics, national interests, and ideologies, but also of regime type, personality of the leader, historical timing, context, and many other factors.

Understanding Russian foreign policy requires examining its historical evolution. Above all, it means viewing contemporary Russia as the heir to the Soviet empire—a highly centralized state in which the Russian core... determined the internal and external policies of the non-Russian republics—and the product of that empire’s sudden collapse.

Russian subs honing stealth skills in major North Atlantic drill, says Norwegian intel

At least eight nuclear-powered submarines sailed out from their homeports on the Kola Peninsula last week, the Norwegian military intelligence says to NRK.
By Thomas Nilsen October 29, 2019

The aim of the massive operation is to get as far out to the North Atlantic as possible without being discovered by NATO, the intelligence service informs to NRK. Such maneuvers haven’t been seen from the Northern Fleet since the days of the Cold War.

The operation started early last week, before Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Commander of the Northern Fleet, Vice-Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev visited Kirkenes in northern Norway last Friday.

Lavrov had bilateral talks with his Norwegian counterpart Ine Eriksen Søreide and the two said at the following press conference that security situation in northern Europe was one talking point...

MIDDLE EAST GENERAL

As Lebanese Protests Rage On, Regional Suitors Hedge Their Bets

Nov 1, 2019 | 09:30 GMT

HIGHLIGHTS

- The growing push for systemic political change in Lebanon, if successful, could weaken the proxy positions of Iran and its regional adversary, Saudi Arabia.

- Iran has built up the most political capital in Lebanon via Hezbollah and thus has the most at stake, should the current unrest continue apace in the months ahead.

-Outside powers like Riyadh and Abu Dhabi could hold off on providing support if they believe that it could bolster Hezbollah's position...

The Saudi oil attacks could be a precursor to widespread cyberwarfare …

In recent years, Iran has deployed destructive computer viruses against Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom and oil and gas industry have been slow to shore up their defenses, raising red flags about the possibility of longer term fall-out in the region, experts said. Investors should expect long-term cyber espionage and flare-ups of malicious activity, including the potential for destructive attacks that hurt companies in the region beyond Aramco. Saudi Aramco declined to comment for this article.

CYBER ISSUES

Georgian police investigate massive cyber attack

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian police are investigating a massive coordinated cyber attack that took thousands of websites offline and could have been carried out from abroad, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.

Thousands of state, private and media websites were knocked out on Monday and their home pages made to display an image of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili holding a poster saying “I’ll be back!”

The attack targeted websites including those of the president’s office, local municipality offices and two private television stations.

“The cyber attack could have been carried out (from) either inside or outside the country,” the interior ministry said...
INTEL GENERAL

Ex-US Intelligence Officer Gets 10 Years in Chinese Espionage Case

A former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency officer who admitted he betrayed his country for financial gain was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for attempted espionage on behalf of China, the U.S. Justice Department said. Ron Rockwell Hansen, 60, of Syracuse, Utah, pleaded guilty in March to trying to pass classified U.S. national defense information to China, and admitted to receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars as an agent for the Beijing government.

TERRORISM

FBI arrests Army soldier who allegedly discussed plans to bomb major American news network

The FBI has arrested a U.S. soldier who allegedly discussed plans to bomb a major American news network, planned to travel to Ukraine to fight with violent far-right group Azov Battalion and allegedly distributed information online on how to build bombs. He also allegedly suggested targeting Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke. According to charging documents in the case, Jarrett William Smith, who transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas, in July, joined the U.S. military only after first expressing his desire to fight in Ukraine.


The Conditions That Created ISIS Still Exist

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death won’t eliminate the threat of Islamist extremism so long as autocratic regimes continue to hold sway in the Middle East.
BY H. A. HELLYER | OCTOBER 28, 2019, 6:28 PM

As the world begins to process what the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the infamous head of the so-called Islamic State, means, there is a temptation to believe that the group has finally been eradicated. While there’s reasonable cause for celebration—not least for the group’s victims in the region—the threat of the Islamic State will remain as long as the world fails to address why it arose in the first place.

In life, Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed “caliph of all the Muslims,” was meant to serve as a symbolic figure who could claim leadership over an actual territorial entity, in the name of religion, with the corresponding duty of Muslims worldwide to pay him allegiance. But that narrative was always flawed.

Empirically, the overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide rejected him and failed to take his leadership seriously. His victims included mostly fellow Muslims, as well as Yazidis (subjected to an attempted genocide), Christians, Kurds, Iraqis, Syrians, Turks, and others. The peoples of this region, Muslim and non-Muslim, were the ones who were most targeted by the Islamic State; they were the ones who sacrificed the most in fighting against the Islamic State; and it is they who will be feeling the most relief today.

Baghdadi’s followers ironically found common cause with Islamophobes who sought to promote him as some kind of religious authority representing the essence of Islam. But Muslim religious authorities within and outside the region frequently derided him and his group as promoting deviancy and heresy...
MISC

As Era Of Laser Weapons Dawns, Tech Challenges Remain

Oct 30, 2019 Steve Trimble | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

As the U.S. Air Force comes within weeks of the first operational laser weapons, the Defense Department is hatching new concepts to address the power and thermal management limits of the state-of-the-art in the directed energy field.

In a largely secret dress rehearsal staged last week at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the Air Force performed another round of tests of the deploying Raytheon High Energy Laser Weapon System (HEL-WS), as well as other directed energy options, such as the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder (THOR), says Kelly Hammett, director of AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate.

“All I can say is there were multiple systems. From my reading of the reports, it looked like a very successful exercise,” says Hammett, who addressed the Association of Old Crows annual symposium Oct. 29...

Wall Street Was America’s First Foe in World War II
Breaking up monopolies was the first step in fighting Hitler.
BY MATT STOLLER | OCTOBER 28, 2019, 10:18 AM

As World War II approached, the lesson of World War I, for Americans, was a frightening one. Despite two and a half years of warning, the United States had entered the First World War unprepared. By 1918, the U.S. field army numbered 5 million men but still relied on British and French allies for artillery and other equipment.

The United States had started late, and it tried to “bait” its manufacturers into expanding plants with lucrative contracts. U.S. soldiers had to use British and French weapons. The United States of the late 1930s was now in the same situation. On the eve of Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, 85 percent of U.S. factory machinery dated from the 1920s or earlier. Some predated the Civil War.

After the invasion of Poland, Americans didn’t necessarily want to intervene in Europe, but preparedness and support for military spending began to increase. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked for larger Army and Navy budgets. But to build that larger Army and Navy, massive supplies of steel, aluminum, copper, and every other material would be necessary. The control of monopolists, who wanted to restrict supplies of these metals, would have to be broken.

What Roosevelt called in 1932 the “unofficial … economic Government of the United States” had to be dismantled, and replaced with democratic means of wielding power. The system that monopolists such as J. Pierpont Morgan and Andrew Mellon had put together did not just wield power over government; it was a government in and of itself. This government of the monopolists had two separate layers of power. There were individual monopolies. Mellon’s aluminum giant Alcoa, for instance, was not only an aluminum producer, but the regulator of the aluminum trade itself. It controlled pricing, output, wages, and the buying of key inputs, such as electric power.

As Morgan, and then Mellon, took a set of businesses and turned them into monopolies, power passed from the engineers, workers, and communities who created, invented, and produced, to financiers, salesmen, and lawyers who controlled, restrained, and manipulated. The second layer was how these monopolies related to one another. An individual monopoly controlled just a single branch of trade. It became a political system when its power, the power of one boss, was combined with other monopolies, the power of many bosses. And this system—of big-business bosses monopolizing the key channels of trade and commerce—still lived on Wall Street.

Wall Street was where financiers moved resources around, through lending or borrowing money, and combined or split up companies. The task for the White House and the populists in Congress was to take this private government apart and construct a democratic one. That meant breaking up the industrial monopolies that ruled specific industries and replacing the rule of banks with competitive regulated markets, with protections for workers and producers. It meant recapturing the ability to print money and control the economy. It meant breaking apart and replacing Wall Street with public channels of financing, so that corporations were free from financial masters. This did not mean undermining business, but liberating it from monopoly and financial power...

They did the Mash!

I know, it's a day late, but still perfect for the end of this week:

Have a great weekend!

LTC Vindman, you missed a criticial part of your education....

The Chain of Command.

I was in the Army and Army Reserve for 23 years, and I'm now a patrol supervisor, in a para-military organization. They are similar in that both have a chain of command. A feature of each is there are levels of supervisor/command for both. And a lieutenant colonel appears to have placed himself into the national spotlight, on the side of the opponents of the current president of the United States.

You can have a disagreement on if President Trump did or did not do a criminal act, or a "wrong," act, in the phone call with the president of the Ukraine. That's not the question of this man. He has openly degraded the current Command-in-Chief of the armed forces, and that cannot be tolerated. I said a similar think when it was discovered, in a Rolling Stone article, that then General Stanley McChrystal was openly disrespectful to the then Vice-President, Joe Biden. And that cannot be tolerated.

My good friend and fellow scotch whiskey connoisseur, Mike Ford, Colonel, U. S. Army, has an excellent piece in today's Redstate.com. Recommend you check out the two linked articles.

LTC Vindman: Involving The Military In Political Fights

Posted at 3:00 pm on November 1, 2019 by Mike Ford

My good friend and colleague Bonchie had a good article out the other day, urging us folks on the American team to settle down and relax. His point; Army Lieutenant Colonel Vindman has testified to nothing new one way or another regarding the now infamous phone call between the Presidents of the United States and Ukraine. He further points out that we may do ourselves harm by going after him.

For the most part, I agree. Moreover, I’ve made it a personal policy of mine to never denigrate another man’s valor…unless I was actually on the scene of the incident. My only comment in that regard, is that LTC Vindman appears to have a “very light rack,” for 22 years of service during a time of U.S. armed combat. Another colleague of mine, Streiff has deftly handled that aspect in this well turned article.

Having determined the above, it took me quite a while to come to the conclusion that I should weigh in on this matter. The retired Infantry Colonel in me cannot let this gross lack of judgement and conduct unbecoming a Commissioned Officer, pass without some comment.

As I pointed out on the David Webb show earlier today, focusing on whether or not LTC Vindman should have worn his uniform to testify, is akin to “pole vaulting over mouse turds.” It’s a minor issue at best. The most Vindman could get convicted of in that regard, is if he got nailed on another charge and “bringing discredit to the uniform” while committing that bad act, became part of the aggravating circumstances.

As I told Webb, the thing we should be focusing on, is the fact that a mid grade officer in the United States Army, has openly and notoriously inserted himself into a conflict between the Executive Branch and the House of Representatives—but one half of the Legislative Branch. He has done this two different ways and quite frankly, I cannot determine which is the more egregious.

First of all, it appears that he violated an order from President Trump to not testify before the House Committee. He did so in the most dramatic method possible, parading through the halls of Congress in his uniform, appearing to desire the most attention possible for his act of defiance. It’s of note that the left leaning New York Times and other publications were fully aware of his service record and reviewed it loudly and in hagiographical fashion, even before he had actually arrived to testify, surely an orchestrated public diplomacy event.

There are some who claim that he is under no obligation to obey an unlawful order. They would be correct. However, this isn’t a case of being ordered to murder a prisoner in the heat of battle. This is a conflict between the President of these United States and one part of the Legislative Branch regarding what may or may not be regarded as “Executive Privilege,” and thus exempt from Congressional subpoena. LTC Vindman’s proper course when reviewing said subpoena, would to have been to inform his chain of command in his National Security Council position and seek guidance, while informing the Army liaison of said actions.

By doing so, he would have properly and effectively extricated himself from this fight. The House committee would have undoubtably gone to court and at some time during that process, the issue would be resolved. In no case would Vindman have been put at risk for following that path. Instead, in his arrogance (more on that later) he decided that he was qualified to determine whose authority was prime in this circumstance. He decided to take sides in a fight between the Executive and the House, coming down in favor of the House. That will likely cost him—and rightly so.

The second manner LTC Vindman lost his way has to do with arrogance and its parent, ego. LTC Vindman apparently has both in spades and that is the likely and proximate cause for this display of poor judgement. If you go back to his leaked introductory statement and other pieces of his “testimony,” he makes no statement whatsoever that says President Trump did anything remotely illegal. He never claims at any time, that he heard President Trump demand a quid pro quo for arms aid to Ukraine, although it would be well within US Law and Treaty to do such.

Vindman’s opening statement was long on self congratulatory prose and very short on substance relating to the matter at hand. The few substantive items all appeared to be that Vindman disagreed with President Trump on policy and technique, which is fine as far as it goes, except for the totally unprofessional and possibly illegal way he handled that disagreement.

I would really like to chat with Vindman’s previous military commanders and supervisors. It appears he wasn’t raised right. He apparently cannot understand the difference between command positions—those who get to decide things and staff positions—those who advise the deciders. In his case, he appears to believe that his opinion outweighs The President’s.

Based on his opening statement, his major beef is that President Trump wasn’t doing it the way Vindman wanted him to. Guess what there young Lieutenant Colonel. Somebody should have told you this a long time ago. You are the Staff Officer, not the Commander—certainly not the Commander In Chief. Your job is to advise. Once The Boss makes his decision, your job is to salute, about face, move out and get it done. If you have a beef with a decision, then resign. As a military officer, you don’t get to insert yourself into a food fight between The President and Congress. Somebody should have squared you away on this simple concept a long time ago.

Right now, the U.S Military has a good reputation with the American public. We are well respected. The Army needs to get out ahead of this now and initiate an Article 15-6 Investigation on LTC Vindman’s actions. The last thing my beloved Army needs is to get a reputation of taking sides in political fights.

Mike Ford, a retired Infantry Officer, writes on Military, Foreign Affairs and occasionally dabbles in Political and Economic matters.

This incident has brought back memories of an awesome book and movie, The Caine Mutiny. It has a great closing scene, where the lawyer Barney Greenwald, played superbly by Jose Ferrier, explains how the Caine's officers failed as officers, under the influence of a self serving lieutenant. Greenwald, drunk off his ass because he has "a guilty conscious...and it's making me sick!" explains to the young Willie Keith, "You're learning Willie. You're learning you work for the captain not because you like the way he parts his hair, you work for him because he's got the job, or you're no good!"



When I was in ROTC in the mid-80s, the man who would eventually swear me in, taught me something I remember to this day. "One day you may have to resign. If you are given and order you cannot in good conscious obey, you must tender you're resignation." Sir, let's be honest, you're army career is over, but you will never go hungry. The book deals and other things are in the works. But you should have been a professional about it, and resigned.

Officer Down

Police Officer Tara Christina O'Sullivan
Sacramento Police Department, California
End of Watch Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Age 26
Tour 6 months
Badge 349

Police Officer Tara O'Sullivan was shot and killed at the scene of a domestic disturbance in the 200 block of Redwood Avenue at 6:10 pm.

She was standing in the yard while assisting a woman to retrieve belongings from a home when a male subject inside opened fire with a rifle, striking Officer O'Sullivan. The subject continued to fire at other officers, preventing them from reaching Officer O'Sullivan or rendering aid to her. Approximately 30 minutes later an armored vehicle arrived, and they were able to rescue her from the yard. She was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her wounds.

The subject remained barricaded inside the home for several more hours while negotiators communicated with him. He surrendered at 2:00 am the following morning.

Officer O'Sullivan had served with the Sacramento Police Department for six months and previously served as a Community Service Officer.

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 Defender
BNSF Railway Police Department, Railroad Police
End of Watch Thursday, February 7, 2019
Breed Unknown Breed
Gender Male

K9 Defender was shot and killed by his handler after being mistaken for a coyote in the area of Bena Road and Neumarkel Road in Kern County, California.

Defender's handler had placed him in their patrol vehicle before going out on a foot patrol in the area. Defender somehow managed to get out of the vehicle and approached his handler, startling him. His handler, who had just been briefed on recent sightings of coyotes in the area, mistook Defender for a coyote and shot him.

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

Patrol Officer John David Hetland
Racine Police Department, Wisconsin
End of Watch Monday, June 17, 2019
Age 49
Tour 24 years
Badge 1928

Patrol Officer John Hetland, who was off duty was shot and killed while intervening in an armed robbery at 9:40 pm.

He observed the robbery occurring outside of a bar at 1936 Lathrop Avenue and took immediate police action. The subject opened fire, fatally wounding him. The subject then fled the scene and remained at large until being captured 10 days later. The man was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Officer Hetland had served with the Racine Police Department for 24 years and was preparing for retirement. He is survived by his two children and his parents.

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 Chucky
Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Texas
End of Watch Friday, January 25, 2019
Breed Belgian Malinois
Gender Male
Age 6
Tour 4 years

K9 Chucky was shot and killed in the area of West Loop 1604 and Highway 151 while attempting an apprehension of a subject following a vehicle pursuit.

The pursuit had started in Karnes City and had traveled through Karnes County and Wilson County before entering Bexar County. K9 Chucky was deployed for an apprehension after the vehicle stopped. K9 Chucky was able to bite the subject before the man produced a handgun and fatally shot him.

Other deputies and troopers returned fire, wounding the man.

K9 Chucky had served with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for four years and was trained in narcotics detection and patrol.

Rest in Peace Chucky…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