RUMORS OF US ACTIONS AGAINST SYRIA / RUSSIA.

In the past two days. Two stories caught my attention. 

One: the US is considering military action, again, in Syria and the conflict in DC on who supports the idea and who does not.

Two: The US is considering retaliating against Russian cyber hacks with its own cyber-attack.

As dramatic as these two stories should have been, it only took a day for the Trump / Hillary story to overtake the media in the US. I am somewhat surprised it took that long.

It’s not often that I take a positive position with the current US administration, but if passive liberalism won the day with these two ideas, then I have to admit the right decisions were made, at least for now.

Just how reckless would either of these actions have been? It’s hard to even measure.

Was the Tsar anticipating ether of these actions? Yes.

Did he have a counter-move prepared? Absolutely, that is how he operates.

If the US would have stumbled into ether of these actions, the impact would have been at a level the US would not have been ready to deal with. You, see, as I have said in the past, the US is decent at rationalizing the first proactive move, but the follow on requirements are almost always lacking in US policy. It’s is truly one of the weakest points of US strategic policy development.

Could a cascading series of results have been the outcome? Yes.

Could they have forced the US and its allies into events they had not anticipated and therefore not have been prepared for? That answer is the more frightening than any one that may have been given.

 The intent behind telegraphing one’s actions is perceived very differently in the rest of the world than it is in the West / US. Very few nations, especially the Russians, truly believes the US media is not fully in the camp of the Obama administration. Given that the Russians believe that, hearing of such pending actions could only be perceived as a “warning” to the Tsar. Actually, it doesn’t take a lot to convince me that may have been the case and that make the message even more dangerous.

When word of these two options hit Moscow, I have to imagine there were smiles inside the Tsar’s office.

What actions were, is he, prepared to take if either of these two events were to take place.  Those options were reviewed as soon as these two stories hit Moscow.

Here is the next dangerous fact of this story. I’m betting the Tsar and his team are convinced those actions may still take place! That’s the problem with using the media for sending messages. Walking back the threat to someone like the Tsar is never a good option.

If the US has decided not to take action in Syria and not to take cyber actions against Russia, then the results will be in the negative ether way. Yep. This is a lose, lose, but one version of this loss is far less dangerous than the other. I say that, but in the long run, even the passive loss will run the threat of further decay.

Why did these two stories fall off the radar so quickly? Two answers.

One: It hasn’t outside the US. It has not gone away in Syria, Russia, Iran or with the GCC.

Two: It could be not just that Trump / Clinton is the focus of the media in the US, but perhaps leadership realized these two stories need to end quickly. “LOOK…. A SQUIRREL”!!! Now, if the US was really trying to send a message to Moscow, I’m on and off on that concept, then the sudden de-escalation could have yet another unforeseen consequence. The factions fighting in DC on how to move the US’s involvement forward are now probably more at odds than ever before. One thing is for sure. It is not the fist time the world has witnessed the US’s “GO…DON”T GO…. WE REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME… DON’T CROSS THE LINE”, stage act. Can Moscow really believe this level of incompetence? Does someone as paranoid as the Tsar truly believe DC is that incompetent? Well, a few years ago, the Tsar may have had a hard time believing it, but now, even he may have to watch DC and scratch his head!

Bets. Place your bet. If you hear of a “hack” on Russian systems and you see the US jump up and say they were not responsible, you may want to believe it. Could the Tsar mastermind such an event just to take his plan to the next step? It won’t surprise me at all. 

As for US military actions on Syrian sites, that blunder would even surprise me and I have less confidence in the actions of DC than the Tsar does.   If the Tsar has mapped that event out, even I would be surprised. I say that then I look at the events that surround the UN aid convoy attack in Syria. All things are posable in this mismatched battle of ideas.

Two dangerous stories this week and most in the US may think they are both over.

My hunch is, they are only over if the Tsar wants them to be over.

What’s next? The midnight oil is still burning in Moscow! 

HOUTHI’S RADAR SITES STRUCK….WAIT….WHAT… RADAR SITES?

The US military “retaliated” against the Houthi radar sites in Yemen after the Navy’s second missile attack against them in a week. Yes, I said that correctly. “Houthi Radar Sites”! Does that statement confuse you? It should. How in the world did the Houthi rebels acquire “Radar Sites”? Well, here is where the story gets interesting and if you are a supporter of the current US position on Iran, you may want to go read something else.   

Yemen. A county that is below the level of “collapsed Nation State”. In fact, other than international recognition, I’m not sure Yemen is really even a country by definition. A slice of land that has been in conflict from the day it was invented. North vs South. Sunni vs Shia. One Clan vs another. Poor? Yemen makes “Poor” sound manageable. It’s a land of forgotten history. A place where herders serve as the local government and the rules / laws are based upon how many guns one has in their clan.  

As hard as it may seem to believe, Yemen took a turn for the worse a little over two years ago. When the Persians decided to open another proxy hotspot with the Suni flagship, Saudi, Yemen came back on the scene. Now, Yemen had the West’s attention for several years before the Iranian proxy event given Yemen was a training and operational base for some of the most radical Sunni “Terrorist Groups” in the world. It was the perfect laboratory for groups looking to strike out at the “nonbelievers” of the world. Before that, Yemen was a cold war topic caught between the Soviets and the West. In the end, Yemen has been the tool of several movements with the Persian exploitation being the most recent.   

Houthi:

Need to know who they are? Simple. They are the Shia side of the Sectarian conflict in Yemen and thus they are supported by Iran.

As I was reading some of today’s postings by the so called “experts” on the region, I once again had to shake my head at the core issue they all seemed fixated on. “Iran is supplying the Houthi groups with “sophisticated weapons”. Not sure how many years you had to spend reading books at Georgetown University or how many cocktail parties you had to attend with the US Department of State to come to that conclusion, but the point was off target just as much as the missiles that were fired at the US Navy. By the way, the UAE Navy was not as fortunate as the US Navy as you can see with the picture I’ve attached to this post.

Yes the weapons used by the Houthi groups are from Iran. Yes, Iran is openly supporting the conflict, now more than ever. Their exposure to being involved in Yemen has become very evident compared to the early phase of their proxy fight there. Here is the real question that is not being asked, at least not at a level that anyone in the West really cares to ask.

How is it that the West / US / can allow this to happen in Yemen? Iran. The county the US had such a resounding success with on the nuclear weapons issue? Iran, the country that still calls for the destruction of the “Great Satan” ….. you know…. The US!  How can it be that weapons of capable of interdicting shipping in a strategic location of the littoral  lanes near Africa, look at the map if you are confused,  can not only be shipped to Yemen, but allowed to be set up and become operational? Why would Iran support this when they are trying so hard to forge a new alliance with the Western world?

Iran is not trying to forge anything with the West. The current leadership in Iran hates the West now more than ever. Why? Because the Moderates in their country convinced their leadership that the nuclear arms deal would lead to free markets and access to world banking networks. It would lead to them not having to give up their nuclear weapons program, but it would allow them to mend their devastated economy. Well, as much as the US has tried to make that pledge happen, it’s not happening to the level the real leaders of Iran are happy with. They didn’t get it all their way and it didn’t happen as soon as they crossed their fingers and signed some laughable agreement on nuclear weapons development with the clueless UN watching over them.

The real leadership of Iran has placed far too much value on the sectarian conflict in the region and keeping the Southern border with Saudi in crisis is vital to their overall plan.

How easy it must have been for them to see the value in openly shipping arms to Yemen knowing all along the US had virtually destroyed its relationship with Saudi. Would the US dare intervene in Iran’s exploits with Yemen? No! How could they? It would mean they would have to admit they were wrong on the entire Iranian initiative and the Iranian leadership knew all too well the ego of the current US President would never allow that to happen.  

What the US taxpayers experienced this week was a nation that the US President secretly released Billions of dollars to, remember that line about the most “transparent Administration in the history of the US”, providing a group of warlords the ability to attack the US Navy!  Does someone want to explain to me US Foreign Policy again? I’ve been working on that mystery for almost eight years now.  

So, today, the US fired back! Tomahawks struck the radar sites in Yemen. Radar sites that shouldn’t even be there! I have to wonder what the conversation was in Riyadh when this report came in. Did we tell the Saudi’s we were going to strike the sites?

When these sites were hit, who was operating them? Now, there is a very important question and let me explain why.  Does anyone believe these radar, launch control sites were actually manned by Houthi fighters? Think about it. A group of unemployed misfits and Mercenaries from somewhere else in the region being trained to the level that they could track, lock on to and fire upon a US Naval ship, not to mention hit a UAE ship just days earlier. All of this accomplished with an upgraded weapons system that has a very limited training program. If someone died in the US’s counter-strike today, where were they from? Persians? Where they Persians? Do anyone think the US administration will ever admit this? You can bet they know. The Intelligence in Yemen is there. The Saudi’s ability to gather human intelligence in Yemen is more than enough to answer this question. But then again, did the Saudi’s share that information? Just how damaged is the US relationship with Saudi?

Once again, today’s actions fly below the tabloid radar in the US media. “Donald Trump grabbed someone’s butt”…… “Hillary lied to the FBI”.   The Gong Show version of the US Presidential elections is all anyone in the US is drooling over.

Oh, by the way, Iran Navy moved into the waters off the coast of Yemen today.

Where is this all heading?

Worse yet. Does anyone care?

The loved ones of those who were almost struck aboard the US Naval vessel do.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the Kremlin tonight.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/10/13/US-strikes-Houthis-after-attacks-on-navy-ship.html

RUSSIAN AND US RELATIONS. EVEN CNN FINALLY PICKED UP ON THE TENSION.

I was amazed today. Yep, amazed! For months now the US news outlet CNN has done nothing but battle to keep Trump from becoming popular. Daily headlines, all day long. “Trump said this…Trump did that…” It’s the panic of the liberal media. By the way, if you happened to tune into the US news outlet FOX, you had the reverse. “Hillary Clinton this and Hillary Clinton that…”!  Have I mentioned lately I don’t watch US based news programs? Gee, I wonder why?

Today, today was different. Today CNN news actually had a lead headline, at least for a few short hours that addressed an issue that is far more important to the American people than Trumps “locker-room talk” or Hillary’s health. If you missed it, you may not see it again until an actual confrontation takes place.

Yes. CNN actually addressed the growing tension between Russia and the US. Mindboggling. For a brief moment in time, real journalism was attempted! But for all the tabloid news fans, the good news is, the “Look what Trump said….did…” mantra was back center page by late this evening.

Some of us, more than you might think, have been watching this storm gathering just over the horizon for several years. Time and time again, I have addressed the actions of the Tsar and what his true goal in life really is; the reestablishment of the Russian Empire!  So how is it that CNN suddenly felt compelled to produce a story on this rising tension? To be honest, this is not the first time CNN or other US news outlets have addressed the Russian “Tension” issue, but it to have the story be center page of the online news for CNN, well, that was new. 

I took the time to read the story and I must admit I was not surprised how off message the CNN article was. If someone were completely clueless as to all the events that had been taking place on the topic of Russia’s role in Europe and the rest of the world over the past ten years, then the CNN story slanted opinion would most likely give that someone a fix on the subject just long enough for allow them to go back to wondering what someone posted on Facebook about cat tricks in England…..you know…. Mindless fluff. 

Was CNN perception of the Russian / US / tension simplistic in its explanation? Well, remember the level of followers they are addressing.

Was CNN slant so pro Obama Administration that a complex series of Western / US / blunders in foreign affairs was simply not addressed? Absolutely!

The story made center page for a few hours, but the context was nearly worthless.

Okay, let me get off my US news media bashing and expound upon a topic I’ve warned of for several years.

Is the West / US / heading for a confrontation with the Tsar?

That depends on what the Tsar has planned for.

Is that a scary answer?

It should be. It should be a very frightening answer.

Does the average person in the US truly believe open conflict between the US and Russia could happen?

I doubt the “average” person in the US has a clue what real conflict really entails! 

Here is a question the US public has an even poorer understanding of.

Is there a conflict already taking place between the US and the Russians?

If you look at the list of issues the CNN story sites as accusations made by the Obama Administration, you should be able to figure out the answer to the question.

Here is a follow on to that important question.

Does the American public really care what is taking place between their government and the Russians, not to mention the Chinese?

How critical is it to the American voters what the future relationship might be between the two Candidates and the Tsar? CNN even touched on one important note. Putin has a real distain for Hillary Clinton. It’s personal and it’s not going to get better just because she shows up in the White House.

Are the American people ready for that?

Is Europe willing to suffer the continued passive aggressive attitude of the Tsar based on his animosity for the new American President?

Folks. I like Mikhail Gorbachev. He is a well-respected, worldly Statesmen. When someone of his caliber decides to speak in public. When someone of his stature is compelled to give a warning, well, the US better be listening.

What is taking place between the US and the Russians is not just based on the vision of Putin. The inept policies of the US is not the only reason the US and the Russian are where they are today. It’s a combination of events that has turned into a cascading chain of dangerous mistakes on all sides.

 For several years, some of us have been called “Chicken Little” when it comes to the Tsar and the West.  If the American people do not have the tension with Russia on their minds when they walk into the booth to vote, then the next dangerous mistake will take place.

Can Donald Trump prevent the Tsar’s Master plan for Russia? No!

Can Donald Trump find a way to make the Tsar’s vision for Russia a vision that is beneficial for the West? Perhaps.

Can Hillary Clinton prevent the Tsar’s vision for Russia? No and he thinks, he truly believes she has already tried to do so. That my friends makes a President Clinton far more dangerous for the US than a President Trump.

The US and the Russians are not heading into calm waters. There will be no “last minute compromise”.

The war of words can turn into much worse.

Manpads in Syria and Russian Aircraft. If you want a ugly event, let that one happen. Who knows that it might be taking place right now? Who has the ability to stop it? If the US has lost it’s standing in the region, then a very….very…dangerous time is ahead.

Who will the Tsar blame?

Who is ready for his reaction?

The American people?

I think not!  

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/politics/us-russia-tensions-cold-war/index.html

HILLARY CLINTON’S EMAILS ON SAUDI FUNDS. WHAT THE MEDIA MISSED AGAIN!

So yet another group of hacked/ leaked/ emails from then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have surfaced? This time from a 2014 conversation, so that would make her not in an official, federal capacity and once again discussing information that I can guarantee you was classified at least at the level of TS / SCI.

So, she was corresponding with her campaign staff and members of the White House Staff on the issue of Saudi and Qatar financial support to the “Islamic State” and “others”.

So, how was this information obtained? At what level of classification did this information reside? Silly question to anyone who has ever worked in the world of classified information. But, for the sake of those readers who may not fully understand how this complex world of classifications works, let me give you a quick rundown. If I hold a classification level / clearance / and I am aware of events based upon classified data, then I cannot divulge that data in any environment other than the one that is cleared for the same level of information.

To make this point even more simplistic, if Hillary Clinton knew of Saudi and Qatar actions based upon classified data and she spoke of that information in an unclassified email, then that is a federal crime! It doesn’t matter if she is compassionate to the poor, understanding of the plight of the minorities, sympathetic to the life style of the Gay and Lesbian community and promises to champion the redistribution of wealth in the US to make life more “fare”.  None of that matters.

Here is the sadist and frankly the most terrifying point of this latest email event. A majority of the US population doesn’t seem to care! Even more frightening, Hillary Clinton knows it. She is banking on blind loyalty to cover her abuse of power. If she gives a speech about women, then she is forgiven for violating federal law, law that is based upon keeping the nation safe!

As for her current battle with Wiki Leaks, it’s not surprising at all that the new Clinton Camp tactic is to say the Emails are fake! Yes. That’s it, physical evidence is fake. Even more spectacular is the story that her Staff is now telling Wiki Leaks that they are in the Trump Camp and that the Russians are helping bring about these “fake” emails!  

I sit here tonight remembering what I once her my Grandfather say when I was a kid in the 60s.  “This county is going down the tubes”! Well, it’s 2016 and the country is still here. But……But… what has happened to the US? What is the new level of expectation when it comes to US politics? Change is inevitable and all of us know that. Is the new level of political leadership based upon acceptance of abuse of power? How long can that last? How long can the US stay stable as the danger of continuous lowering standards and expectations continues?

By the way, if your answer to this story is, “she didn’t do anything the ‘rest’ of them don’t do”, then I would remind you that you can no longer use that excuse with children. “ Johnny. Why did you break that? Well. Tommy did it so why can’t I”?

By the way, the assumption I make here is that Saudi and Qatar did actually support some of the groups the West calls “Terrorist”. So, this statement may infuriate some of you.  If the Saudi’s and others funded groups they need to secure their own safety and future in the region and the West / US / knew about it, who is really guilty here?

Yep, it’s gotten that bad.

http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/10/hillary-in-leaked-email-saudi-arabia-and-qatar-are-funding-isis/

HAS THE US ADMINISTRATION SUFFERED ANOTHER BLUNDER WITH SYRIA?

As two completely unworthy individuals were making absolute fools of themselves last night, I was digging into a story that both of them would not understand nor have an answer for. The problem was, the story was posted by one of the most slanted, biased so called news agencies in the world. Yep, Sputnik.com, the mouthpiece of the Tsar.

Ahrar al-Sham has joined ranks with Al-Nusra?

Is that an accurate statement? It appears so.

Would it be the first time the Western backed Sunni fighters have jumped ship and aligned themselves with an al-Qaeda / Terrorist / organization? No!

Is it yet another example of the US failed foreign policy for the Middle East? Yes!

Does anyone in DC really care? It appears not!

Why?

Because everyone in the US is mesmerized by the most disastrous Presidential election process in the history of the US, that’s why? Worse yet, the American people are clueless to yet another failed adventure financed by their tax dollars, those that pay taxes that is.

When the current US President set out to kill off American Exceptionalism, not only did it terrify those we called “Allies”, but it began a process where the American people paid even less attention to world affairs than they had in the past. 

For those who are still willing and able to comprehend world affairs at a level above tabloid news, a more complexing question now become noteworthy.

Those that “know”, where they surprised by this alleged new alliance? No!

The theory of forcing the so called “moderates’ into the arms of the “Terrorist” has been floating around since the initial support for the “moderates” began. How could on again, off again, go, stop, support, not support, foreign policy not produce an environment that would lead to “moderates” jumping ship? The only thing the West had going for it was the fact that most of these “moderate” groups were hated by the more radical groups. When the radical groups had everything going their way, they didn’t need the “moderates”, but that changed when the Russians stepped in.

So, is the new alliance the Tsar’s fault? Well, that depends. Let’s look at this issue from a different perspective.

Did the Tsar intend on this alliance being forged? Was that the plan the whole time? Remember, the Russians have tossed all the groups opposing Assad into one big bucket. They are all terrorist in the eyes of the Tsar. The drumbeat from Moscow has been relentless. The West / US / backs Terrorist organizations in Syria.

If the Tsar planned this alliance announcement, that would explain why his mouthpiece news company would be the one to publish the story.

Next question. How did he do it? How did he guarantee the “moderates” would be willing to align with their enemies? Simple, he pounded on both groups. Think about it. When the Radicals had everything going their way, they didn’t need the “moderates”. But, when they began to lose ground, lose funding and lose the most important tool, confidence, then wouldn’t they have to reconsider? When the Russians forced the West to stop supporting the “moderates”, when the Tsar changed the players at the table by pulling the Turks into his camp where did that leave the “moderates”?

What do the “moderates” and the radicals have in common? What is the baseline for both groups?

They both want Assad out of Syria? Yes.

So, is that the issue? They both want Assad out? Nope!

The core value is the issue the West simply still doesn’t comprehend.

The region is in a religious Civil War!

The so called “moderates” are Sunni.

The radicals are Sunni.

What they both understand is that they are Sunni and their enemy is not!

Once again, those that know the region are not surprised by yet another ship jumping event.

The West / US / looks like fools one more time, but that is only to those who are paying attention and nobody in the US is paying attention.

The anti-Assad groups are in trouble. The Turks have traded supporting them, Turks are Sunni, for guarantees from the Tsar the Kurds will not have a slice of land on the Turkish border. By the way, as I said the other night, let see how long that Tsar / Sultan / alliance holds. The forces against Assad have little choice than to combine forces and like the Sultan / Tsar / handshake, lets us see how long this new alliance holds.

Who can this new alliance turn to? Who will help them holdout against the Tsar and his puppet Assad?

Those of us who study the region, we know the answer and we know the danger that answer holds.

As for the rest of the West / US / well, they are worried about emails and comments from ten years ago.

US foreign policy lost at sea on a ship of fools!

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610101046201541-isis-rebels-nusra-aleppo-syria/

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. WHERE DID IT COME FROM AND WHAT IS IT UP TO NOW?

I was reviewing a few of the stories posted on one of my favorite websites, one that covers events in Mexico; Borderland Beat.

When I came across this story, one that centers on perspective many in Mexico and the perceptions the US Department of Homeland Security has with the people of Mexico. Before I get started, I fully accept the argument that many in Mexico are not near as negative as those who deal with the Drug War on a daily bases when it comes to the actions of the US and the agencies from the US that interact with Mexico. But, I would be willing to bet the perception of the US Department of Homeland Security in Mexico is not a positive conversation.

Back in 2001, when the concept of the Department of Homeland Security was being developed, I was one of those who openly argued it was an ineffective idea at best. It was and still is my opinion the concept of The Department of Homeland Security / DHS / was and is redundant. I was not in the minority at the time, but the events of 2001 were such that arguing against doing something that would combine multiple US federal agencies, who at the time were truly stovepipe operations, well, it simply wasn’t worth the effort. It wasn’t going to impact the organization I was working within and frankly, I had other issues that were far more pressing then worrying about yet another US federal government program.

Countless stories, research papers, documentaries have been placed in front of the American people on just how DHS came into existence and what roles does the agency  really play in the day to day lives of the typical US citizen. But, if I had to summarize in one sentence what took place, this is what I would write down. The US Department of Homeland Security was initially designed to give the American people reassurance the nation was looking internally for newly understood threats to the overall safety of the county. Twitter version…. It was about perception management.

In the early stages of its conceptual development, a process that for the most part took place in Congress, it seemed the political energy was being spent on finding a way to explain to the public  why such an event as the attack on September 11^th  could have happened. Was there a sound, strategic review of what changes might need to take place? No. Sorry, but the answer is no, at least, not in the normal sense of program development. Yes, there was little time to reset the American public’s confidence and yes, part of the explanation for why 9-11 took place was going to involve the word “failure” at a colossal level on several key federal agencies. So in the end, the foundation for the second largest federal agency in the US government was poorly planned and the repercussions of this poorly designed program is continuing to have an impact on the US with each passing day. But, that was not the most critical failure!

After months of wrangling and political backroom discussions the Department of Homeland Security was ready to be briefed to the American Public. The picture was going to be that of unity and synergy and yes, even cost effectiveness. That last concept is the one that gets me the most!  The goal was clear, the process of developing the pathway to this goal was fatally flawed.

What went wrong? Why was the concept of the Department of Homeland Security destined for ineffective action? Politics. Imagine that. Politics guaranteed a bloated, bureaucratic money pit that was only going to grow in size and cost given that is all the US political leadership understands. If you spend more, it must get better!  Let me give you just one example of the bureaucracy this new super agency was going to execute under. I had a conversation with a FBI agent, who was a neighbor of mine, soon after DHS was actually operational. I hadn’t had a great deal of time to realize this concept was underway and it wasn’t until I had returned from the Middle East that I had the opportunity to even think about what in the world “DHS” was and how it worked. When I asked my neighbor how the relationship between his agency and this new agency was going to work and how it would impact his agency’s efforts to figure what threats were out there, his answer was more than stunning. I cannot remember his exact words, but the meaning was clear. They, the FBI was going to continue to do what they do, just the way they do it and DHS just needed to stay out of their way.! Now, mind you the official response from DC as to how the attack of 911 happened was based on “lack of coordinated” information / intelligence. That federal agencies didn’t work together, didn’t share!  Was this true? Yes. Was it the reason 9-11 took place? No, but that is a conversation for another day.  I must admit, knowing the FBI the way I did, I was not surprised by the answer my neighbor gave, but his explanation, now that amazed me.

The Department of Homeland Security was concept based on consolidation and at its face value, to the typical US citizen, that was a logical concept. To consolidate the actions of agencies to insure the unity of effort is achievable, that just made sense. But, go back to my comment about backroom, political dealings and the flaw again shows itself. My neighbors explanation was this, most of the supervisory positions in the newly formed Department of Homeland Security were structured around interagency .transfers. A large proportion of the line supervisors came from the other collapsed federal agencies. To put it in the simplest terms, political leadership agreed that rank structures inside of the collapsing federal agencies would have a minimum impact on the people in those agencies. If a GS15 in the Department of Transpiration was going to fill a newly formed GS 15 slot in the Department of Homeland Security, then the person filling that part would not take a reduction in pay. So, what did that mean? How did that impact the effectiveness of this newly formed agency?

Armature hour! In the world of identifying, tracking and countering threats to the US, threats other than bad food or spiders riding on bundles of bananas shipped to the US, the new “leadership” of DHS was laughable; laughable in the eyes of the agencies who had been in this business for decades. Now, is this a fair assessment? Was DHS really a conglomeration of federal employees that had little experience in the world they were now thrust into? Remember the purpose of this politically driven agency. Perception management! Make the American people believe they are safer now than before the events of 9-11. Here is what the political leaders had not realized. Those who were already deeply involved in the process of keeping the US safe from hostile acts, the same ones the political leaders blamed for 9-11, they were now being forced to work with yet another agency, but this one was run by people who were………well………armatures! Yep, perception management goes both ways. Somehow, the political leadership of the US truly believed they could blame those who truly do defend the nation and then force them to work side by side with a brand new group of “experts” who for the most part knew little to nothing about human threats. In 2002, an FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of a regional office was on a peer level with a DHS supervisor who had less experience than a rookie Police Officer. Was this true across the country? Again….that word….perception. Had political leadership comprehended what was the ramifications would be if the FBI, CIA, NSA, DIA and DoD was told to work hand in hand with people who didn’t understand the job in front of them? No. Did they care? No! The presentation to the American public on what DHS was and what it was tasked to do was far more important than putting into place process that would make the department functional. It was the US postal service on steroids or so the FBI and others thought! They still do, they just won’t say it in public

It’s been over fifteen years since this bureaucratic, kneejerk reaction took place and guess what? It’s grown in size and cost with each passing year! Imagine that, the US federal government spending money faster than the printing presses can make it and all in the name of keeping the country safe! You’re not against keep the US safe are you? Yep, that is the explanation the US public hears year after year!

Okay, I started this by referencing the Mexican viewpoint of DHS. Now that I’ve given my version of the history of DHS, let me address the real issue and it’s not just about Mexico’s perception of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Somewhere around 2010 the US public perception of DHS began to change. At first it was just the fringe elements that perceived DHS as too powerful, too intrusive and too arrogant. Soon it became much more mainstream to read or hear stories of how DHS was “intrusive”. I can’t remember what movie I was watching, but there was a moment when a city Police Detective said, “Okay, let’s leave this guy up to ‘Homeland’, they will want to talk to him’! I sat there for a moment and thought to myself,” who is ‘Homeland’ and why would a Detective deliberately turn an active case over to them and not the FBI”? In the movie, a Homeland Security Investigator takes charge of interviewing a suspect. Now, I knew Hollywood has a long history of screwing up how real Police work takes place, so I just let this part of the movie go. A few days later, I was talking with a retired FBI Agent. I was telling him about this movie and I asked him if DHS really had investigators. To my shock his answer was yes! “So, you mean DHS has people who were a badge and gun out in public? I thought they just watched the borders and inspected vehicles. I thought they worked at airports making sure little old ladies didn’t have liquids in their purse. You mean to tell me DHS has a Law Enforcement branch”? I know I was behind the times on the actions of DHS, but I was stunned the US government had taken, in my mind, such a huge leap! By the time my FBI friend finished explain to me what changes had taken place in DHS, I officially join the ranks of the concerned!  What was going on? Why was the federal government expanding the authority of this agency? Soon after that, my work brought me back into daily contact with a few other federal law enforcement agencies along with a state level agency. It seemed that DHS had quietly executed the classic “Mission Creep”.

It’s 2016 and the US Department of Homeland Security is charged with what? If you stopped the average American citizen on the streets and asked them, “What is the mission of Homeland Security”, what would they tell you? Does anyone really know? In the past several years, there is an unquestionable growing fear of the federal government in the United States. It’s not held by everyone and the percentage is still below a majority, but fear and mistrust are poison to sound governance and that fear is growing. What examples are being touted as the proof of a federal government becoming too intrusive? Is DHS one of the key examples? Remember the key word in this post, “Perception”!  

Final analysis:

The US Department of Homeland Security was a kneejerk reaction of political leadership, on both sides of the US political arena, based upon not having sound answers for the US public as to why the attacks of 9-11 took place. It was not a strategically developed concept, regardless of what any political leader might argue.

In 2016, the American public must ask itself a series of very important questions.

1.      Has the agency expanded its initial charter? If so, by who’s approval / authority? Did the US citizenship get a vote?

2.      Could the country survive without it? Would the ability to keep the US safe be degraded? If so, quantify the defense.

3.      Is the agency redundant in any area? If so, why?

It’s sad to say the Department of Homeland Security has been a political tool from its inception, but then again, almost all federal agencies have become political tools! The most recent example of the Department of Justice and Hillary Clinton’s actions is a frightening example.

Finally as you sit and ponder this growing federal agency, remember this.

There is a very fine line between security and tyranny!

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2016/10/greed-and-corruption-knows-no-borders.html