Military Veterans and Patriots

Category: Politics

  • It’s Saturday… yeah!

    It’s Saturday… yeah!

    We can get all kinds of political stuff:

    It being Saturday, Karoline has a child to look after, President Trump, he’s got Grandbabies to give a hard time to, as in, come here kid and pull my finger.

    See this

    What you see is a myosin protein dragging an endorphin along a filament to the inner part of the brain’s parietal cortex which creates happiness.

    You’re looking at happiness.

    It’s a good thing he doesn’t smell like lake trout

    Talk about ice fishing, they won’t get away this time

    you have a spirit animal?

    me?, well I got dog

    He’s learned when I’m in the kitchen he stays behind the transition strip, sometimes he’ll put paw over it as if I don’t see him trying to sneak in, when busted, he’ll curl his paw under as in I ain’t doin nothin

    it’s not me he keeps eye on, it’s whatever that may land on the floor

    whatever you do today, include some Happiness

  • Journo entry: the USS Minnow

    Journo entry: the USS Minnow

    With a new coffee, was tellin dog; dog I think I handled the situation very effectively, I’ll explain: drove down the road needing restaurant grind pepper, stopped at the canned cancer stink in a can shelves still noticing no spent brass scent, out of the corner of my eye I seen the hands go to the hips, call her Carol for that’s her name.

    It was you wasn’t it

    It was me what

    on my social media page you wrote (her words) nice tits

    Carol, have you ever known me to talk as that, (well no, but it’s something you’d do).

    Carol it wasn’t me, tell ya what Carol, say you was my girlfriend or even my wifey and we were in a busy restaurant, I’d lean into you so only you could hear, Carol, I don’t know if you know this, you have nice boobs. And just like right now you’d be smiling and feeling good in knowing you have nice boobs. With a smile she apologized to me for the social media posting and she turned and went away. Fellas, I really don’t have to remind anyone of you about the age-old question Ginger or MaryAnn. Do notice I chose pictures of Respect, I coulda shared bikini pictures of both, I chose Respect instead

    Pam

    or

    Talsi

    Sips coffee… a though occurred to me seeing the ladies there, was a time in America when it didn’t matter what side of the isle you sat, when trouble came, we as Americans stood shoulder to shoulder at the water’s edge. Why I say that is because we had long talks, when Pearl happened, she was 21 years young, she said it didn’t matter, her words ” everyone was pissed off”.

    Found the restaurant grind pepper, Carol checked me out, I didn’t say it, but looking at Carol, I know what a full C cup looks like 🙂

    there’s music for a situation like that

  • The First One Hundred Hours

    The First One Hundred Hours

    Featured image via grok

    That was the title of an official White House press release. That release detailed much of the Trump administration’s actions for the first few days. Here are some of the highlights from that release:

    • President Trump is securing historic investments just days after being sworn in.
    • President Trump secured $500 billion in private sector investment for the largest AI infrastructure project in history, with Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman all stating that it would not have been possible if not for President Trump’s election victory and leadership.
    • President Trump is already securing the border and arresting criminal illegal immigrants.
    • The Border Patrol is reporting a significant drop already in attempted illegal crossings.
    • ICE is at work rounding up criminal aliens.
    • The Trump Administration immediately shut down the CBP One app, which “paroled” over 1 million illegal immigrants.
    • Deportation flights have already started and the military is assisting with the effort.
    • The Department of Homeland Security reinstated official use of the term “illegal alien” over “undocumented noncitizen,” and the DOJ announced it would be taking action against lawless sanctuary city policies.
    • President Donald Trump signed an executive order to designate the cartels as terrorist organizations.
    • President Trump signed a series of executive orders ensuring the elimination of discriminatory DEI practices and ensuring merit-based hiring.
    • DEI staff are being placed on leave.
    • The Federal Aviation Administration must now return to merit-based hiring.
    • President Trump ended an affirmative action mandate in federal government hiring.
    • President Trump signed an executive order affirming the reality that there are only two sexes.
    • The State Department issued guidance that embassies should only be flying the American flag, and not any activist flags.
    • President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling agencies to stop remote work practices and directing workers to return to the office.
    • The State Department subsequently ordered workers to return to working in the office.
    • President Donald Trump is unleashing American energy.
    • President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency to unlock America’s full energy potential and bring down costs for American families.
    • President Trump rescinded every one of Joe Biden’s industry-killing, pro-China, and anti-American energy regulations, empowering consumer choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs, and dishwashers.
    • President Trump withdrew the United States from the disastrous Paris Climate Agreement that unfairly ripped off our country.
    • President Trump paused all new federal leasing and permitting for massive wind farms that degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American energy consumers.
    • President Trump reversed the burdensome regulations that impeded Alaska’s ability to develop its vast natural resources.
    • President Trump terminated Biden’s harmful electric vehicle mandate.

    And that doesn’t include the Cabinet appointments. Marco Rubio has been sworn in as Secretary of State, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security and John Ratcliffe as CIA director.

    All in all, it’s a good start. The President and his staff have hit the ground running and show no signs of slacking off.

  • Similarities

    Similarities

    Think yourself as a deer, just to many of ya, costing money, what to do, what to do, your so-called betters bring in the wolf, or should I say, the illegal alien, both are predators, the cities have their version of wolf, preying on the sheep. Border patrol is busy around here of late.

    Wolf range around here

    The survey found 158 packs across the U.P. This is the state survey’s highest estimated population for gray wolves since 2012 the department began its wolf survey.

    The wolf goes for the easiest prey, dogs, cats and farm animals, not to different from the ILLEGAL ALIEN. Some nights, like last night, dog started whimpering, hung right next to my leg, shaking. Through the snow and dark, this is what the woods sounded like, got a dog/kitty cat, turn it up watch their reaction.

    Beautiful creatures that have a place in nature

    With his impeccable hearing it’s good I play music to drown out the racket outside, sips coffee… out here you can think stuff with a clear head as in this example, say I arrive at the Pearly Gates, and there He is… Chance.. “God” how was it? ” Well God it’s like this, I’m banged up, scrapped, marred an scared, hell, I hurt in places I didn’t know had, but you know God, I’ll arrive with a smile with music blaring,

    Thank you God

    What a ride!

    it a Japanese Shamisen

  • Will the Deep State Strike Back?

    Will the Deep State Strike Back?

    Will the Deep State Strike Back?

    It’s telling that what’s good for American citizens is bad for Trump’s entrenched opponents.

    Jeff Carlson & Hans Mahncke

    As President Trump comes back into office, a crucial question lingers. What kind of resistance will the new administration face from the Establishment Deep State? Will the political mandate of Trump and JD Vance, coupled with the downsizing attacks from Elon and Vivek, be enough to push the establishment back on their heels? What plans has the Deep State drawn up for Trump’s return?

    Trump has already survived two separate assassination attempts—one of which failed by mere centimeters. We’re hoping the adage “If you shoot for the King you better not miss” holds true but we find ourselves concerned over what other plots the Deep State may have in store.

    We’re not allowing ourselves to become Black-pilled (we’re actually quite optimistic longer-term) but we are trying to be realistic about the foes that President Trump faces. As we know all too well, in 2016 Trump came into office hoping to Drain the Swamp. He found himself up against a vast ocean of corruption.

    Trump was attacked from the moment he took office and those attacks never really let up. Unprecedented levels of leaking by anonymous intelligence officials was a daily occurrence. Entire federal agencies were arrayed against him. The media unquestioningly published whatever they were fed, no matter how outlandish the claims.

    Indeed, although it’s easy to forget the sheer toxicity of the political environment during those early months, it was far from certain that the young Trump Administration would make it through 2017—much less the full four years of his presidential term.

    It’s also worth remembering that in early 2017, Republicans were in a position of very real power. The GOP held the House, the Senate, the White House and a majority of governorships. And yet some of the biggest threats to Trump came not from Democrats but from Establishment Republicans.

    Which raises a question of its own. What good is having a Republican majority in Congress if all they do is thwart the Republican president? This complete abdication by most of the GOP is a very real part of the reason why Republicans predictably lost the House in the 2018 midterm elections. And, of course, SpyGate and the Russia-Collusion narrative continued unabated.

    Then, just as the Trump Administration was finally finding its footing in 2019, the State Department-led impeachment of Trump began. An impeachment effort that was a violent, systemic response to Trump’s questioning of Biden’s corruption in Ukraine—and our country’s larger actions in that region over the last two decades.

    It is these systemic responses that have our attention. As we noted in a previous article, Obama’s presidency not only brought about significant division and policy shifts but also laid the groundwork for a network of fanatical loyalists and ideological allies, many of whom remain entrenched in both governmental and non-governmental institutions.

    These figures, often former members of the Obama administration, have undermined democracy and the will of the people across multiple presidencies and they remain active in government roles through multiple administrations. Key figures in intelligence, defense, statecraft and other critical sectors often retain their positions or reemerge in different roles, reinforcing the perception of undemocratic continuity across American governance.

    In part, this is why we contend that it’s unlikely that the Deep State simply goes quietly into the night and accepts their defeat. As we and others have said many times, there are literally trillions of dollars at stake.

    All of our readers are familiar with Spygate and the fabricated Russia-Collusion narrative so we won’t rehash the entirety of that here but there are several moments that we feel are worth revisiting as a reminder of the Obama-backed forces that were mobilized against President Trump and his young first administration.

    On Jan. 3, 2017, Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333 was signed into effect by the outgoing Obama administration. The new order allowed for other intelligence agencies to ask the National Security Agency (NSA) for access to specific surveillance simply by claiming the intercepts contained relevant information that would be useful to a particular mission.

    At the time, we questioned the timing of the order and possible ulterior motives on the part of the Obama White House. Why the pressing need to rush this order during the final days of his office? And why did the order allow for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence amongst agencies.

    One of the items within this provision prohibited dissemination of information to the White House. Remember that this provision would not impact Obama whose administration ended in two weeks. But it would most definitely impact the dissemination of information to the incoming Trump administration.

    In other words, if this new provision had been implemented in early 2016 as originally scheduled, dissemination of any raw intelligence on or relating to the Trump campaign to officials within the Obama White House would likely have been made more difficult or quite possibly prohibited.

    Said differently, prior to the January 2017 signing of Section 2.3, it appears that greater latitude existed for officials in the Obama administration to gain access to information. But once the order was signed into effect, Section 2.3 granted greater latitude to interagency sharing of that information, setting the stage for the massive intelligence community leaking that was still to come.

    The practical effects from this order were highlighted by an inadvertent slip during a March 2, 2017 MSNBC interview with Obama’s former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas. Although she later tried to backpedal, during the interview, Farkas gleefully detailed how the Obama administration gathered and disseminated intelligence on the Trump Team:

    I was urging my former colleagues…get as much information as you can. Get as much intelligence as you can before President Obama leaves the administration…

    The Trump folks, if they found out how we knew what we knewabout the Trump staff dealing with Russians, that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we would no longer have access to that intelligence…That’s why you have the leaking.

    Note that Farkas said “how we knew” not “what we knew”. A crucial distinction.

    Less than three weeks later, House Intelligence Leader Devin Nunes effectively confirmed what Farkas had discussed. On March 22, 2017, after learning of the unmasking of members of the Trump transition team, Nunes abruptly gave an impromptu press conference, followed by a more formal press conference later that day.

    Humor us as we run through some quotes from Nunes. Keep in mind that Obama’s NSA Data Sharing Order was specifically designed to allow for significant expansion in the sharing of previously collected raw intelligence among the various intelligence agencies:

    “Details about persons associated with the incoming administration, details with little apparent foreign intelligence value were widely disseminated in intelligence community reporting…I have seen intelligence reports that clearly show the President-elect and his team were at least monitored and disseminated out in intelligence reporting channel”

    “It was all legally collected, but it was essentially a lot of information on the President-elect and his transition team and what they were doing…incidental collection that then ended up in reporting channels and was widely disseminated.”

    A few months later, on July 27, 2017, Nunes sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence regarding the ongoing leaks of classified information and the need for new unmasking legislation to address the problem. Nunes’s letter specifically targeted officials within the Obama administration.

    Nunes noted that one particular official had made a huge number of unmasking requests in 2016. That unnamed individual is almost certainly former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, who was later appointed by Joe Biden to run USAID, the massive cutout (conduit) agency for the CIA.

    USAID is anything but what its name implies. It’s used to promulgate and fund the policies of the CIA and the State Department—including the overthrow of governments. Additionally, as we have noted previously, USAID also played a huge role in establishing and funding the NGOs that directed the massive flows of illegals into the US.

    We all saw the lengths the establishment apparatus was willing to take during the 2020 election. Massive censorship of conservatives by the Deep State’s Big Tech partners was the norm. Unconstitutional changes to state election laws were made. More than one hundred million mail-in-ballots swamped our electoral system as our nation endured a manufactured pandemic of dubious origin.

    Efforts by the Deep State did not simply go away after Trump left office. If anything they redoubled their agenda under a mentally diminished and overtly pliant Joe Biden. The events of January 6th provided an additional windfall for the Establishment and their DNC lackeys.

    A rally that degenerated into what appears to have been a manufactured riot would later be used to label those who supported President Trump as traitors. Thousands were arrested and jailed. The entire MAGA movement was branded as insurrectionists by the media. Arrests by the FBI continued into the final weeks of the Biden administration.

    The actions undertaken by members of the J6 Committee were so outlandish, so unbelievably egregious that a recent investigationconcluded that the entirety of the J6’s work should be completely discredited.

    When Trump began to resurface politically, a massive lawfare effort was unleashed against him. Many of these legal attacks were led by Norman Eisen, a Brookings senior fellow, Obama’s former White House Ethics Czar and Ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the “Velvet Revolution.”

    Eisen and his Brooking’s-funded group have been behind the ongoing Lawfare that has targeted Trump throughout his presidency, through the Biden Regime and into the present date. He and his latest group currently have their hopes set on fomenting some sort of a Color Revolution.

    But despite all of these attempts—or perhaps because of them—Trump persevered and grew even stronger. Culminating in a sweeping election win that saw Republicans take control of the House, the Senate and The White House as Trump took the popular vote. It was a staggering setback for the Deep State.

    Trump and Elon Musk have plans to slash as much as $2 Trillion from our annual federal budget—a number so large as to be almost incalculable. An integral part of this plan calls for the removal of tens of thousands of deadweight federal employees that are so entitled that they generally don’t bother to show up for work.

    But even against this backdrop of downsizing—or perhaps because of it—many federal employees admit they are planning to openly oppose the incoming Trump Administration. According to a recent poll, 42% of federal government managers admitted that they plan to work against the incoming Trump Administration.

    When measured along political lines, the numbers appear even more dramatic, with 73% of federal employees who identify as Democrats admitting they plan to resist or strongly resist the new Trump Administration.

    We’ve written previously of efforts by long-time Deep Staters like Mary McCord—and their plans to find legal avenues to limit President Trump’s ability to quell potential civic unrest and ongoing violence in the streets.

    For those unfamiliar, McCord was the Acting head of the DOJ’s National Security Division from 2016 to 2017 and was involved in the FBI’s early FISA surveillance of Trump advisor Carter Page. McCord was also appointed by Nancy Pelosi as legal counsel to the Jan 6th Capitol Security Review Task Force and has written articles pushing the Jan 6th narrative.

    Most recently, she has been trying to derail the appointments of Pam Bondi as Attorney General and Kash Patel as FBI Director.

    One area McCord, along with several senior Democrat lawmakers, appears to be targeting is the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. The Insurrection Act was last invoked in 1992, during the L.A. riots.

    We acknowledge this very real risk of civil unrest but given the mandate that Trump won on Election Day, we find ourselves less concerned than we otherwise might have been. The American public’s tolerance for riots and street violence has diminished markedly from the heyday of the ANTIFA and BLM riots. It’s a new era and a fresh political climate. What worked previously may fail badly today.

    Trump rightly recognizes the historic moment that lies in front of him. It appears that nothing is off the table: mass deportations starting on day one, huge budget and headcount cuts, the implementation of tariff proposals, the retooling of our tax system and a complete overhaul of every federal agency. Our election systems are likely to undergo some major overhauls as well.

    But everything that Trump hopes to implement is universally opposed by the Deep State Bureaucracy. Vehemently so. It’s telling that what’s good for American citizens is bad for Trump’s entrenched opponents.

    Some have put forth the idea that the Deep State will enter a hibernation of sorts during the Trump presidency. But we do not share this view. Trump’s proposed changes are so fundamental, sweeping, and structural that if leaders of the Deep State, including figures like Obama, fail to respond, they may find themselves with nothing to return to. Which is precisely why we are asking the questions we’ve put forth.

    Trump is making a lot of the right moves both policy and personnel-wise. His administration is far more prepared than in 2016. We’re not necessarily happy with every policy move and every nomination but we are very happy overall. But at the same time, we still find ourselves marginally unsettled over what may come next from a Deep State that is unlikely to simply give up.

    We are living in exciting times. The enormity of the potential changes are both breath-taking and exhilarating. But we are also in dangerous times. A wild animal presents the greatest risk when it finds itself cornered.

    We are grateful that President Trump has moved his formal inauguration into safer quarters. We also continue to believe the best thing a new Trump Administration can do to keep the deep state off-balance is a continuation of what they’ve already been doing.

    Move Quickly & Break Things.

  • President Trump Restructures the NSC and Removes IC Influence

    President Trump Restructures the NSC and Removes IC Influence

    President Trump Restructures the National Security Council and Removes IC Influence

    Sundance for The Conservative Treehouse

    People have asked why we focus so much sunlight and attention toward the network silos that operate the Intelligence Community (IC) and as an outcome the national security focus of government.  The answer is simple, as Mary McCord herself admitted publicly, the IC are the background approver for every weaponized approach of government, including the DOJ.

    With that in mind, CTH has painstakingly made the case –with details and receipts– for a process of removing the IC silos from influence over the Office of The President.  The Chief Executive must control all elements of national security policy and implementation.

    Thankfully, the Supreme Court recently affirmed the plenary power of the executive branch, and the unitary power of the President in controlling every system within that branch of government.

    That ruling (presidential immunity) further bolstered the solution we have continuously proposed. The IC silos must be decoupled from the Executive office definitions of national security, until such a time as the IC institutions can be bought to heel.

    The most effective way to confront a rogue, hostile and corrupt IC apparatus is to take away their power.  The best way to remove their power is to use their primary weapon, their silo structure, against them.

    Turn each silo into an irrelevant echo-chamber by using the White House National Security Council as their replacement.  Regardless of what triggers the various IC silo embeds try to pull (CIA, NSA, FBI, DIA, etc.) let them shoot blanks by removing their power over policy and process.

    If the IC is isolated from influence, eventually the Legislative Branch, specifically the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will realize the ‘Seven Ways from Sunday’ group no longer hold power.  The IC becomes a crew stomping their feet while no one pays attention.

    This approach would be affected by restructuring the President’s National Security Council (NSC), the National Security Advisor (NSA Mike Waltz) and working with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI Tulsi Gabbard), in a synergistic process.   The IC become simply information functionaries. The Nat Sec Council then validates and defines the information, creates the definitions of national security interest, and initiates the guidance to President Trump, who ultimately triggers any action.

    Until yesterday there were only a few subtle signs that this ‘silo isolation’ approach was being accepted as the most effective optimal solution to the problem within the intelligence apparatus. However, yesterday President Trump signed an Executive Order [SEE HERE] doing exactly the type of restructuring that is needed.

    The XO is technical and deep in the weeds, but this is the process that has the greatest likelihood of success.

    SUBJECT: Organization of the National Security Council and Subcommittees

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:

    As President, my highest priority and responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of the United States and its people. The national and homeland security threats facing the United States are complex and rapidly evolving. These issues often do not fit neatly into the categories that single departments and agencies are designed to optimally address, a fact recognized and exploited by our strategic competitors and adversaries in their adoption of whole-of-government and even whole-of-society approaches.

    The United States Government’s decision-making structures and processes to address national security challenges must therefore be equally adaptive and comprehensive. They must be able to competently design and execute cooperative and integrated interagency solutions to address these problems, and protect and advance the national interests of the United States. Therefore, to advise and assist me in this endeavor, I hereby direct that my system for national security policy development, decision-making, implementation, and monitoring shall be organized as set forth in this Memorandum. This Memorandum prevails over any prior orders, directives, memoranda, or other Presidential guidance related to the organization of the National Security Council (NSC or Council).

    A. The National Security Council and Supporting Staff

    1. Functions, Responsibilities, and Chairs.

    (a) Functions and Responsibilities. The National Security Act of 1947, as amended (the Act), established the NSC to advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to national security. The Homeland Security Council (HSC) has the distinct purpose of advising the President on matters pertaining to homeland security. The NSC shall convene as the HSC on topic areas agreed to in advance by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor) and the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (Homeland Security Advisor). Along with its subordinate committees and staff, the NSC shall be the President’s principal means for coordinating Executive departments and agencies in the development and implementation of national and homeland security policies, strategies, activities, and functions, their integration across departments and agencies within their purview, and for long-term strategic planning.

    (b) Chairs. The President will chair the NSC. When the President is absent from a meeting of the Council, he may appoint a Cabinet-level official to chair.

    2. NSC Staffing Responsibilities of the National Security Advisor.

    (a) Role of the National Security Advisor. The National Security Advisor shall be responsible, as appropriate and at the President’s direction, for determining the agenda for the NSC, ensuring that the necessary papers are prepared, and recording and communicating Council actions and Presidential decisions in a timely manner.

    (b) Role of the Homeland Security Advisor. When convened as the HSC, the duties referenced in subsection (2)(a) shall be the responsibility of the Homeland Security Advisor.

    3. Designating NSC Members, Attendees, and Invitees.

    (a) Membership. The NSC membership consists of the statutory members set forth in section 101(c)(1) of the Act (50 U.S.C. 3021(c)(1)):

    The President;
    The Vice President;
    The Secretary of State;
    The Secretary of the Treasury;
    The Secretary of Defense;
    The Secretary of Energy;
    The Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy;
    and additional members hereby designated by the President pursuant to section 101(c)(1) of the Act:

    The Attorney General;
    The Secretary of the Interior;
    Chief of Staff to the President (White House Chief of Staff); and
    The National Security Advisor.
    When the NSC convenes as the HSC, members shall also include:

    The Secretary of Homeland Security; and
    13) The Homeland Security Advisor.

    (b) NSC Meeting Attendees. The National Security Advisor retains the discretion to determine the attendee list for all meetings of the NSC, including by requesting the attendance of any senior official of the Executive Branch. The Homeland Security Advisor retains this same discretion when the NSC convenes as the HSC. This discretion shall be exercised based on the policy relevance of attendees to the issues being considered, the need for secrecy on sensitive matters, staffing requirements, and other considerations.

    As regular practice, the National Security Advisor and Homeland Security Advisor shall include as additional non-voting attendees:

    The Director of National Intelligence (non-voting advisor);
    The Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (non-voting advisor and principal notetaker) or, when convening as the HSC, the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (non-voting advisor and principal notetaker);
    The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (non-voting advisor); and
    The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (non-voting advisor).
    (c) NSC Regular Invitees. Unless specifically restricted, these officials are invited to attend any NSC and HSC meeting as non-voting advisors:

    The Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President;
    The Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy;
    The Assistant to the President for Policy; and
    The Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs and Legal Counsel to the National Security Advisor.
    4. Right to Propose Agenda Items.

    Any NSC member attending a meeting in a voting capacity may propose, in advance and in accordance with a timeline set by the National Security Advisor or his designee, agenda items for their consideration.[1] The National Security Advisor will determine whether to include these items on the agenda. The Homeland Security Advisor shall have this same discretion when the Council is convened as the HSC.

    5. The National Security Council Staff.

    (a) Staff Fusion. There is a single NSC staff within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) that serves both the NSC on national security matters and the HSC when the Council is considering homeland security matters. The staff is headed by a single Executive Secretary, in accordance with section 101(e)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021(e)(1)) and section 905 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 495).

    (b) Purpose. The purposes of the National Security Advisor and subordinate staff are to

    (i) advise and assist the President in the course of conducting activities that relate to or affect the carrying out of the President’s constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties pertaining to national or homeland security, pursuant to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, as amended;[2]

    (ii) advise and assist the other members of the NSC (and the NSC when convening as the HSC), and others in the White House;

    (iii) help the President plan and set priorities, in accordance with section II of the Message of the President in the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977;

    (iv) advise and make recommendations to the President with respect to, and establish, integrated domestic, foreign, and military policies and procedures for the departments, agencies, and functions of the Government relating to national and homeland security, pursuant to sections 2 and 101(b)(1) of the Act (50 U.S.C. 3002, 3021(b)(1));

    (v) coordinate, facilitate, monitor, oversee, and review Administration policies and their implementation with respect to national security, and make resulting recommendations to the President;

    (vi) help the President resolve major conflicts among departments and agencies with regard to national security, in accordance with section II of the Message of the President in the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977.

    (c) Fair, Balanced, and Thorough Processes. In accordance with sections I and II of the Message of the President in the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977, the NSC staff shall ensure that the processes it organizes, coordinates, and manages fairly and thoroughly gather the facts, intelligence, and other relevant information necessary to NSC decisions; fully analyze the issues; consider a full range of views and options; assess the prospects, risks, costs, and implications of each option; and distill these options for the President, other NSC principals, and senior officials participating in the subsidiary committees of the NSC or HSC, in a fair, balanced, and organized way. The National Security Advisor and subordinate NSC staff shall represent the views and differences of NSC principals and other senior officials to the President with accuracy and fidelity.

    (d) Policy Development. In accordance with sections I and II of the Message of the President in the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977,[8] the NSC staff shall facilitate the development and refinement of interagency policy options, and develop additional options besides those proposed by departments and agencies as necessary, both to complement, supplement, and enhance their work, and to offer the President and other NSC principals and other senior officials a sufficiently broad menu of operationally feasible options for consideration, deliberation, and decision.

    B. The Principals Committee

    1. Principals Committee Establishment.

    (a) (i) Functions and Responsibilities. The Principals Committee (PC) shall continue to serve as the Cabinet-level senior interagency forum for considering policy issues that affect the national security interests of the United States. The PC shall develop options and recommendations for the President on national security and homeland security matters requiring the President’s attention, and with the Committee’s full consensus shall set priorities, issue policy guidance, and facilitate coordination and integration on national security policy and implementation issues as appropriate that do not require Presidential attention.[9] Issues involving matters that are statutorily authorized for decision by a principal, or delegated to a principal by the President, can be coordinated and decided by the principals without requiring Presidential attention.

    (ii) Voting and NSC Referral. Consensus is reached when all voting (i.e., non-advisory) attendees present either vote affirmatively for the same decisional option or formally abstain, and all such votes shall be recorded and minuted. Issues for which the Committee fails to reach consensus shall be referred to the NSC for decision, with a formal nonconcurrence required by at least one non-advisory attendee present for such a referral. Whether an issue requires Presidential attention, and the Committee attendees’ positions on the issue itself, shall be separately polled. If a voting attendee does not concur with the determination that Presidential consideration is not required, the issue shall be referred, along with the results of the PC’s deliberation on the issue itself and its recommendations, to deliberation by the NSC.

    (b) Role of the National Security Advisor. The PC shall be convened and chaired by the National Security Advisor. The Chair shall determine the agenda, location, and meeting materials, in consultation with the appropriate attendees.

    (c) Substitute Chairs. At his sole discretion, the National Security Advisor may delegate authority to convene and chair or co-chair the PC to an appropriate attendee of the NSC or EOP policy council senior official. The Homeland Security Advisor, who is Chair when the PC considers matters that would be raised to the NSC convening as the HSC, may similarly delegate such duties.

    (d) Right to Propose Agenda Items. Any PC member attending in a voting capacity may propose, in advance and in accordance with a timeline set by the Chair, agenda items for consideration by the PC. The Chair will determine which, if any, shall be included.

    2. Executive Secretary Responsibilities and Process.

    (a) Responsibilities. The Executive Secretary shall ensure that the necessary papers are prepared, serve as executive secretary of the PC, and shall record and communicate accurately, and in a timely manner, the Committee’s conclusions and decisions, what was not decided, and any responsibilities for implementation by departments and agencies or taskings to the Deputies Committee or subsidiary policy coordination committees that have been agreed or assigned, if appropriate.[10] The Executive Secretary shall generally be assisted in these tasks by the senior directors and other NSC staff by the senior directors and other NSC staff.

    (b) Dispute Resolution Process. If a PC voting attendee disputes that the conclusions or decisions of the PC were correctly minuted, this must be communicated in writing to the Executive Secretary and the National Security Advisor (and any substitute Chair if appropriate) within three business days, although those officials may allow additional time if exigent or extenuating circumstances require it. If resolution of the dispute cannot be achieved, and any necessary amended report of the PC proceedings was issued within a week of the dispute being communicated, the disputing attendee may appeal the matter to the White House Chief of Staff or, should that official so designate, to the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, whose decision shall be final.

    3. Principals Committee Attendees and Invitees.

    (a) Principals Committee Attendees.

    (i) The National Security Advisor retains the discretion to determine the attendee list for all PC meetings on national security. The Homeland Security Advisor retains this same discretion when chairing the PC. This discretion shall be exercised based on the policy relevance of attendees to the issues being considered, the need for secrecy on sensitive matters, staffing needs, and other considerations. As regular practice, the National Security Advisor and Homeland Security Advisor shall include as additional non-voting attendees:

    1) The Director of National Intelligence;

    2) The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;

    3) The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency;

    4) The Principal Deputy National Security Advisor;

    5) the National Security Advisor to the Vice President; and

    6) The Executive Secretary (principal notetaker).

    (ii) PC Regular Invitees. Unless specifically restricted, these officials are invited to attend any PC meeting as non-voting advisors:

    The Assistant to the President and Counselor to the President;
    The Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy;
    The Assistant to the President for Policy; and
    The Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs and Legal Counsel to the National Security Advisor.
    (iii) Staffing Invitees. At the discretion of the Chair, staff members of the NSC or other appropriate EOP policy councils may be invited to attend specific PC meetings to assist the Executive Secretary in the performance of their executive secretary duties.

    C. The Deputies Committee

    1. Deputies Committee Establishment.

    (a) Functions and Responsibilities. The Deputies Committee (DC) shall continue to serve as the senior sub-Cabinet interagency forum for consideration of and, where appropriate, decision making on, policy issues that affect the national security interests of the United States. The DC shall review and monitor the work of the interagency national security process, including the interagency groups established pursuant to section D below. The DC shall work to ensure that issues brought before the NSC, the NSC when convening as the HSC, and the PC have been properly analyzed and prepared for decision. The DC shall also focus significant attention on monitoring the implementation of these policies and decisions and shall conduct periodic reviews of the Administration’s major national security and foreign policy initiatives.

    (b) Role of the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. The DC shall be convened and chaired by the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. The Chair shall determine the location, agenda, and meeting materials in consultation with the DC attendees.

    (c) Substitute Chairs. At his sole discretion, the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor may delegate authority to convene and chair or co-chair the DC to an appropriate regular attendee of the DC or other appropriate EOP official. The Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (Deputy Homeland Security Advisor) shall chair meetings when considering issues that would be raised when the NSC is convened as the HSC. The Deputy Homeland Security Advisor has similar delegatory authority.

    (d) Right to Propose Agenda Items. Any DC member attending in a voting capacity may propose, in advance and in accordance with a timeline set by the Chair, agenda items for consideration by the DC. The Chair will determine which, if any, shall be included.

    2. Executive Secretary Responsibilities and Process.

    (a) General. The Executive Secretary shall ensure that the necessary papers are prepared, and shall record and communicate accurately, and in a timely manner, the Committee’s conclusions and decisions, what was not decided, and any responsibilities for implementation by departments and agencies or taskings to subsidiary policy coordination committees that have been agreed or assigned, if appropriate. The Executive Secretary shall generally be assisted in this task by the senior directors and other NSC staff.

    (b) Dispute Resolution Process. If a DC voting attendee disputes that the conclusions or decisions of the DC were correctly minuted, this must be communicated in writing to the Executive Secretary and the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor or the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, as relevant, within three business days, although those officials may allow additional time if exigent or extenuating circumstances require it. If resolution of the dispute cannot be achieved, and any necessary amended report of the PC proceedings issued within a week of the dispute being communicated, the disputing attendee may appeal the matter to the White House Chief of Staff, or should that official so designate, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, whose decision shall be final.

    3. Designating Deputies Committee Regular Attendees and Invitees.

    (a) Deputies Committee Attendees. The Principal Deputy National Security Advisor retains the discretion to determine the attendee list for all DC meetings.

    The Deputy Homeland Security Advisor retains this same discretion when chairing DC meetings. This discretion shall be exercised based on the policy relevance of attendees to the issues being considered, the need for secrecy on sensitive matters, staffing needs, and other considerations.

    As regular practice, the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor shall include as DC attendees:

    The Deputy Secretary of State;
    The Deputy Secretary of the Treasury;
    The Deputy Secretary of Defense;
    The Deputy Attorney General;
    The Deputy Secretary of Energy;
    The Deputy Director of National Intelligence (non-voting advisor);
    The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (non-voting advisor);
    The Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (non-voting advisor);
    The Executive Secretary of the NSC (non-voting advisor and principal notetaker); and
    The National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
    When homeland security issues are on the DC agenda, the DC’s regular attendees will also include:

    11) The Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security; and

    12) The Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (chair).

    (b) DC Regular Invitees. These officials are invited to attend any DC meeting:

    The Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and
    The Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Policy Strategist.
    D. Policy Coordination Committees

    Management of the development and implementation of national security policies by multiple Executive departments and agencies typically shall be accomplished by Policy Coordination Committees (PCCs), with participation primarily occurring at the Assistant Secretary level. As the main day-to-day fora for interagency coordination and integration of national security policies, PCCs shall develop and provide policy options and analyses for consideration by higher echelon committees of the national security system. PCCs shall ensure timely responses to, and implementation and monitoring of, decisions, directives, objectives, instructions, inquiries, tasking, and policy guidance of and by the President, National Security Advisor, and the higher-echelon committees of the national security system.

    PCCs shall be established at the direction of the National Security Advisor or Homeland Security Advisor, in consultation with the White House Chief of Staff or her designee. Members of the NSC staff will chair the PCCs.

    PCCs shall review, coordinate, integrate, and monitor the implementation of Presidential decisions in their respective national security and homeland security policy areas. The Chair of each PCC, in consultation with the Executive Secretary, shall invite representatives of departments and agencies to attend meetings of the PCC where appropriate. The Chair of each PCC, with the agreement of the Executive Secretary, may establish subordinate working groups to assist that PCC in the performance of its duties.

    Interagency Policy Committees (IPCs) chartered under the aegis of the process established by National Security Memorandum-2 (NSM–2) may continue to be operated as PCCs by the NSC staff until renewed or discontinued by the National Security Advisor.

    E. General

    (a) The President and the Vice President may attend any meeting of any entity established by or under this directive.

    (b) This document is part of a series of National Security Policy Memoranda, which have replaced both National Security Memoranda and National Security Study Memoranda as the instrument for communicating relevant Presidential decisions. This directive shall supersede all other existing Presidential directives and guidance on the organization or support of the NSC and the HSC where they conflict, including National Security Memorandum–2 of February 4, 2021 (Memorandum on Renewing the National Security Council System), which is hereby revoked. This document shall be interpreted in concert with any Presidential directives governing other policy councils and offices in the EOP mentioned herein, and with any Presidential directives signed hereafter that implement this document or those Presidential directives.

    [SOURCE]

    This process hinges upon the execution of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

    We will watch closely.

    My generosity, in providing you with this lengthy article, is unmatched. There is no doubt, in my mind, there are more than a few who will thoroughly understand this and kindly explain it to those of us who are unclear. The one thing I do know is I would not trust 99% of the listed participants to sit at my dinner table.

  • Mr. President, get our people out of there

    Mr. President, get our people out of there

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1881582571471147060

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1881572093386731849

    However, there are unconfirmed reports of violence breaking out inside the very troubled, and disgraced DC prison between J6 hostages and guards

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1881559141313048786

    https://twitter.com/GraduatedBen/status/1881559141313048786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1881559141313048786%7Ctwgr%5E517a3ccf9e9ab75edb8a238d678950b47e28e229%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Frevolver.news%2F2025%2F01%2Freport-jails-refusing-to-release-pardoned-j6-hostages-maga-army-unleashes-pit-bull-attack%2F

    Nick Sortor on X: “🚨 NOW: Anti-Trump protestors are clashing with J6 Freedom groups outside the DC jail, where J6ers will soon be released The anti-Trump agitators are now being REMOVED by police, sparking fury How many feds are in this group? https://t.co/jq8SCbCKmm” / X

    A nickname attached to Marines

    The PRESIDENTS OWN

  • Marco Rubio Confirmed as Secretary of State

    Marco Rubio Confirmed as Secretary of State

    Earlier this evening, the Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as SecState in a unanimous, 99-0, vote.

    Rubio was previously the senior senator from Florida, having been first elected in 2011.

    Rubio started his political career as a city commissioner for West Miami in the 1990s, he was elected to represent the 111th district in the Florida House of Representatives in 2000. He served as speaker of the Florida House for two years, being elected to that position in 2006.

    Rubio is married to Janette and has 4 children.

    He is the first SecState of Cuban descent. His parents fled Cuba after the fall of Batista and the rise of Castro.

  • Last Minute Pardons

    Last Minute Pardons

    In what I can only assume was a cynical ploy to avoid media attention, the outgoing administration issued a boatload of pardons in the last hours of Joe Biden’s Presidency.

    In the first round of pardons, announced fairly early this morning were Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley – more about this one in a bit -, the J-6 committee and staff and any of the local DC/capitol cops that testified to the committee.

    Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger both received pardons as part of the Committee. While I am not sure about what crimes Kinzinger may have committed, Cheney has – prima facie – committed witness tampering with regards to Cassidy Hutchens.

    The Milley pardon is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. Firstly because there has never been a Presidential pardon of a General or Admiral in the history of the US. There was a general amnesty issued by Andrew Johnson at the end of the Civil War, but that was not a pardon. The second issue I have is that Milley can be recalled and tried under the UCMJ. As most of you know, the UCMJ exists outside of the regular justice system. That fact makes me question the legitimacy of Milley’s pardon.

    Among those pardoned in the second drop were members of his family. Specifically those long suspected of being part of the Biden Crime family bribery and pay-for-play schemes. This drop happened just as the Trump Inaugural ceremonies were beginning. The timing of this drop, even more than the early morning announcement of the other pardons raises questions for me.

    Remember when Biden was going to restore norms and all that? Me too, good times. Instead, he smashed all the norms with this pardon-palooza. (Maybe I should start a music festival and call it pardon-palooza, bring in all conservative musicians and stuff.) He also destroyed any semblance of the whole “Joe is a decent guy” narrative. He has now exposed his petty, angry, bitter self for those who have eyes to see.

    Unlike a lot of people I’ve seen comment about this topic today, and frankly since Hunter got his pardon, I do not doubt the legality of these pardons. The Constitution is pretty clear on the subject. Article II section 2 clause 1 says:

    The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

    That seems pretty clear-cut to me. There are no restrictions, no limitations. He SHALL have the power. . .

    Do I like it? No. I think it sets a very bad precedent. Pardons should never be wielded like this. But, sauce for the goose and all. The stage is set for this from now on. Expect a lot of J-6 convicts to get pardoned in the coming weeks.

  • Trump II: Electric Boogaloo

    Trump II: Electric Boogaloo

    Today is the day. The ship has passed the moment of instability and the ship is starting to right itself.

    At noon today, Donald John Trump will be sworn in for his second term as President.

    The events have been moved inside due to the weather forecast for Washington DC. At the moment it is 27℉ and partly cloudy. Trump will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Capitol Rotunda.

    The schedule of events looks like this;

    • Musical Prelude by The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Combined Choirs
    • Prelude: “The President’s Own,” by the United States Marine Band
    • Call to order by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota
    • Invocation by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, and the Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
    • “Oh, America!” by opera singer Christopher D. Macchio
    • The vice presidential oath of office administered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
    • “America the Beautiful,” by Carrie Underwood, the Armed Forced Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club
    • The presidential oath of office administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
    • “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club
    • Trump’s inaugural address
    • Benediction from Yeshiva University’s President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Imam Husham Al-Husainy of the Karbalaa Islamic Center, Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church Detroit and the Rev. Fr. Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
    • “The Star-Spangled Banner,” by Christopher Macchio

    Following the swearing in, there will be a signing ceremony in the President’s Room just off the Senate Chamber where members of Congress watch as the newly sworn in president signs nominations, memorandums or executive orders. The President will then proceed to a luncheon with the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

    With the exception of a Pass And Review on the East Steps of the Capitol, the traditional Inaugural parade will be held inside at Capitol One Arena. The event is expected to feature remarks from Trump and marching bands. After the parade, there is an Oval Office ceremony.

    This evening, there are three Inaugural balls being held.

    Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball: Country music band Rascal Flatts and country singer Parker McCollum will perform at the ball geared toward military service members. Trump is scheduled to speak.

    Liberty Inaugural Ball: Rapper Nelly, country singer Jason Aldean and disco band The Village People are scheduled to perform at the ball geared toward Trump’s supporters. Trump is set to give remarks.

    Starlight Ball: Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform and Trump will speak at the third inaugural ball, at which guests are expected to be big donors of the incoming president.

    We at MVAP will be commenting live during the ceremonies, so come back here at noon and join in.