#U.S. Security Umbrella

[munaeem]

Europe's Dependence on the United States for Security

Europe’s dependence on the United States for security has been a topic of considerable debate and analysis. This reliance can be traced back to historical, political, and strategic factors that have shaped the transatlantic relationship for decades. This document seeks to explore the reasons behind Europe’s reliance on the U.S., the perception of the Russian threat, NATO’s response, Germany’s…

[911bts]

IATSE: 🚨 BREAKING: IATSE Members Overwhelmingly Ratify Hollywood Basic and Area Standards Agreements

With 85.9% of members’ votes in favor of approving the Hollywood Basic and 87.2% in favor of approving the Area Standards Agreement, all local unions voted in favor and the delegate counts in favor were unanimous for both contracts.

Turnout was historically high, with strong majorities of members participating in both votes. This represents only the second time in history that the Hollywood Basic and Area Standards agreements were negotiated and voted on concurrently.

The Hollywood Basic Agreement is an umbrella contract covering roughly 45,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers primarily located in Los Angeles, across IATSE’s 13 West Coast Studio Locals. The Area Standards Agreement covers 23 local unions and approximately 25,000 film and television workers across the U.S., excluding Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago.

IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said, “IATSE’s rank-and-file members have spoken, and their will is clear. Between significant wage increases, several craft-specific adjustments, bolstered health/pension benefits with new funding mechanisms, improved safety provisions, critical protections preventing misuse of artificial intelligence from displacing IATSE members, and more — The gains secured in these contracts mark a significant step forward for America’s film and tv industry and its workers. This result shows our members agree, and now we must build on what these negotiations achieved.”

With these contracts going into effect August 4, IATSE will continue to educate its members on the new terms and launch an enforcement campaign during the deal’s three year term.

Additionally, IATSE looks to continuing their support the @/Teamsters_399 and the Hollywood Basic Crafts, who remain in Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — as well as the @/animationguild as their agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is set to expire on August 16th.

[us-cj]

From General Mike Flynn

ATTENTION!

Update on the War in Eastern Europe (the other war).

My overall assessment is that this war falls into the category of stupid war. It is costly in terms of human lives & for the people of the U.S., it has cost us over $500B (yes, that is a capital B!). So much destruction & several 3rd/4th order consequences that have potential existential long term consequences for America.

That said, looking back before looking forward, we totally screwed up by not bringing Russia into a Eurasian hemisphere post the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Not only a massively strategic & costly error but the political warmongers in our CIA & other components of the national security & M-I complexes along with many puppets in Congress over decades have led America into the “valley of the shadow of death”, a virtual abyss with grave historical consequences.

So many lies, so much deception, so many monumental mistakes by so-called political & diplomatic experts. The only thing they are expert at is continuing to promote more war & driving potential partners & allies into the arms of our most dangerous adversaries.

So what:

Ukraine is experiencing a security & military collapse (never mind a totally corrupt govt).

That said, the catastrophic shortage of personnel within Ukraine’s Armed Forces has reached a breaking point. It is a desperate situation. It exposes a hollowing out of Ukraine’s military & security apparatus. The Ukrainian military leaders remaining are now having to throw their very best troops into conventional roles. Something unheard of in the past. This along with many other indicators of weakened political leaders & a devastated military are only outmatched by a civilian population that is weary and wants this madness to end. They are tired of the destruction, death & their children’s and nation’s future.

Key Perspectives:

1. Severe manpower Crisis

2. Morale deficiencies across the board

3. Untenable equipment losses

4. Multiple battlefield operating systems (Intel, command and control, targeting, etc) diluted or ineffective/non-operational.

5. Etc.

The long term effects for Ukraine’s stability are severe.

Conclusion:

A completely new PEACE & PARTNERSHIP approach must very seriously be considered. America must consider what is best for America. We can completely withdraw or we can be the bigger, more magnanimous of participating (LEADING) nations and influence, cause or force the issue of a major outreach to Russia (the largest holder of nuclear arms on the planet) and be prepared to offer and discuss long term guarantees (no more lies and deception).

The larger, more looming question & something directly impacting this war is:

How do we draw Russia out from under the umbrella of China. East of the Ural Mountains, China is already dominating the terrain. Their people are moving rapidly to take over & control massive energy & rare earth element resources. As China also seeks to destroy us right here at home with deviant activities by applying bio-weapons like COVID, deadly fentanyl attacks, subversive activities on our streets. China knows they must have the A$$ to fight a long physical war if one were to break out (until China feels they are able to take over the USofA, they need strategic resources and Russia has those resources).

Yes, Russia is a communist nation, but it has far more history looking west than it does east.

There could easily be a global meltdown and we must stop thinking conventionally and we must stop listening to the warhawks and other “media talking heads.”

We don’t need short term transactional fixes, we need long term solutions that see a 21st century that fights for peace to be the norm & not the aberration.

For all those name callers who will say I’m a Putin puppet, FO! Come up with a better solution.

There are other objectives of what I describe here, but we need to be thinking critically, long-term & what is in the best interests of AMERICA.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Badash at NCRM:

President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a visit to Hurricane Helene-damaged parts of North Carolina on Friday, announcing he is planning on reforming or “getting rid of FEMA,” and proposed an unprecedented move to condition disaster relief on the passage of a voter ID law by California’s lawmakers, “as a start.” Trump’s trip, which will include travel to California later Friday, appears designed to target the emergency management agency, which he has been criticizing for months. In what appeared to be scripted remarks, Trump later elaborated that he would “sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think frankly, FEMA’s not good. I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go and, uh, whether it’s a Democrat or Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time.”

[...]

In his wide-ranging remarks, President Trump also claimed that “rather than going through FEMA,” disaster relief aid to California and North Carolina “will go through us,” meaning, through his administration. FEMA is a federal government agency under the wide umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The president nominates the HHS Secretary, a cabinet level official, and the FEMA administrator.

[...] “So, I want two things,” Trump repeated, “I want voter ID for the people of California. They all want it. Right now you have no, you don’t have voter ID. People want to have to voter identification. You wanna have proof of citizenship. Ideally, you have one-day voting, but I just want voter ID to start, and I want the water to be released, and they’re gonna get a lot of help from the U.S.”

Petty Tyrant Trump is seeking to extort California into accepting voter ID policies in order to get disaster relief aid. This is the type of stuff that could cause blue state secession.

[disturbingstar]

Sheva Alomar trivia

Sheva is only 23 when she and Chris Redfield kill Albert Wesker.

The character is voiced by Karen Dyer.

Sheva is born into an impoverished family in a small industrial town in West Africa; the town was home to Umbrella Plant 57.

There are four costumes that can be unlocked for Sheva: Clubbin', Tribal, Business and Fairytale.

Sheva's tattoo, a tribal design with the word “shujaa” in the middle, means warrior or hero in Swahili and brave or courageous in Arabic.

Her fairytale costume is based off Little Red Riding.

Her primary uniform is less sexualised and more practical for fighting than other female characters, such as Ada and Jill.

Sheva’s main role in resident evil: umbrella chronicles is as a medic.

Her character model was based on Australian actress Michelle Van Der Water.

Sheva is the first native African Survivor, originating from the West Africa region.

Creva is a ship between Sheva and Chris.

Creva is a small ship within the RE fandom compared to the other ships within the series.

Despite only being in the one main game, Sheva is shipped with many of the characters despite never appearing on screen with them. Cleva (Sheva/Claire Redfield), Sheon (Sheva/Leon Kennedy), Birkinmar (Sheva/Sherry Birkin), and Shiers (Sheva/Piers Nivans).

U.S. operatives contacted Sheva when she was 15 to sabotage Umbrella's attempt to sell a BOW.

Sheva’s character makes an appearance in Dead by Daylight.

Her main weapon of choice is an assault rifle.

Sheva accepted an offer to start a new life in America, learning English quickly and later joining the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) after graduating from university.

Her ability to use firearms is on par with Chris Redfield.

Sheva is the first left-handed playable character in RE.

When Chris Redfield goes missing in Edonia, Sheva sends an e-mail to Piers Nivans offering her support and that of the entire West African branch in the search for her former partner.

When Sheva is only eight years old, an umbrella causes an “accident” that kills her parents.

Sabine Harrer and Martin Pichlmair said that Sheva was given the role of a “decorative side character”, also stating that “gendered and racialized hierarchies” exist between Sheva and Chris.

[mariacallous]

With another Trump administration incoming, the future of trans-Atlantic cooperation is receiving fresh scrutiny—as is the U.S. security umbrella that has largely, if imperfectly, kept the peace in free Europe since 1945. As uncertainty over the endurance of U.S. security commitments to Europe intensifies, European leaders are grappling with the prospect of an increasingly challenging threat environment without the surety of American backing.

While this is leading to some shifts in European strategic thinking, even a major policy overhaul tomorrow would not be able to compensate for U.S. military advantages in mass and sophistication; that would take at least a generation of dedicated European defense investment. The bad news is that Europe needs a credible conventional deterrent in the near future. The good news? It has one right under its collective nose: Ukraine. To safeguard Europe, and save Ukraine, European states should move quickly to endorse and implement the Ukrainian Victory Plan and work now to put Kyiv in a strong negotiating position tomorrow. Ukraine can then offer Europe a highly militarily credible conventional deterrent, and key insights for European deterrence, defense, and resilience.

Should Ukraine emerge from the war more or less intact, it will be exhausted, bloodied, and bruised, carrying the scars and traumas of an epochal war of liberation. But it will also be a, if not the, premier land power in Europe, with a large, battle-hardened, and heavily equipped force that has experience taking on and often besting Russian forces. It will be among the few armies on the continent with real, practical experience in large-scale combined arms and maneuver warfare. Ukrainians have experience integrating varied and secondhand weapons systems from across the world and forming them into coherent and lethal operational elements. They also boast a rapidly innovating, specialized suite of advanced, battlefield-iterated domestic weapons—particularly drones and a growing array of long-range, precision-strike platforms—and real-life concepts of operations for their employment.

Ongoing Russian advances in Ukraine should be taken seriously, but they should also not be overemphasized, either. They do not represent strategic breakthroughs and are instead periodic operational gains at best. Yet Russia has paid dearly for these minimal gains, with casualties well above 600,000, and even above 700,000 by Ukrainian estimates. Still, should the United States suspend arms shipments again, as they did earlier this year, Russian momentum could turn into localized breakthroughs and provide Moscow with a commanding negotiating position in potential ceasefire talks. In that case, Ukraine may be forced to carry on the fight without U.S. supplies, perhaps increasingly desperately, or effectively capitulate to Kremlin suzerainty.

In either case, Europe is extremely vulnerable if the United States effectively abrogates its commitments. If Russia were to test NATO’s mutual defense clause, as many analysts fear it will, no time would be better than amid American disengagement, Ukrainian weakness, and alliance uncertainty. On its own, Europe may lack the sufficient conventional deterrence posture to give Moscow too much pause. In many ways, Western strategic forbearance has rewarded Moscow for its boldness through successive colonial adventures in Georgia and Ukraine, as well as further afield, despite its military’s incompetence.

Moscow certainly believes that without Washington’s influence, decision-making and the already cumbersome process of consensus would likely grind to a halt in the North Atlantic Council. Although Europe has some credible military capabilities in aggregate, including specialized areas of excellence, Moscow does not see Europe as being able to cooperate effectively to mount a decisive conventional defense without U.S. leadership or cajoling.

Meanwhile, national governments with varying threat perceptions that are not used to acting decisively in concert may opt to sit out joint action—or offer only token contributions—even if a decision were made.

In the absence of a strategic bulwark, Europe’s relative weakness would likely spiral into further fragmentation, as accommodationist elements gain ground in national politics and coalitions of states move in different directions while some states choose to resist as best they can. The end result is very unlikely to be continental Russian domination, but rather a return to the multipolar status quo before 1945—when Europe was far from a postmodern, pacific garden but rather the world’s laboratory for contagious, industrialized mass conflict.

What makes the United States an effective security partner is that its forces were combat credible, capable, and could be relied on to defend Europe. While there is no replacing U.S. troops and the symbolism of American backing—at least not immediately—Ukraine has the advantage of being battle-tested, evidently capable of inflicting pain on advancing Russian forces, and already in a state of total mobilization.

Earlier this fall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Western capitals, touting his government’s five-point (eight-point if you include three classified annexes) Victory Plan. The plan’s five pillars included: (1) an invitation to NATO; (2) defense assistance; (3) a conventional deterrence package; (4) strategic economic cooperation; and (5) a Ukrainian bulwark for Europe. By many assessments, the plan was sensible and even realistic when taken as individual elements, but as a whole it was mostly coolly received by Western capitals—particularly those looking for a solution that would swiftly end the war without increased outputs from them. More broadly, the plan quickly disappeared into the news cycle as the U.S. presidential election dominated proceedings.

Yet in the wake of that election, Europe may wish to reconsider the merits of the plan. In some ways, it is already being enacted. Since the U.S. election, Washington has agreed to massively boost and accelerate its defense assistance to Ukraine in advance of the new administration taking office. At the same time, the Biden administration eased its caveats on using longer-range precision strikes against military targets within Russia—a sharp reversal on a longstanding policy to the contrary—which was quickly followed by green lights from the UK and France on using their long-range supplied munitions. Notably, France has also revived rhetoric about potential European troop deployments to support Ukraine, though the idea remain in a conceptual stage.

If residual U.S. military aid and additional European tranches can restore Ukrainian military momentum, or at least significantly sap Russia’s, then Kyiv could enter ceasefire negotiations from an improved position and deter Russia over the longer term. For Europe, this will require significant resources, particularly if U.S. arms flows peter out, as well as a determination to adopt a more decisive approach to enable Ukrainian battlefield success and longer-term conventional deterrence. While this is a tall political order in Europe’s fractured and multivariate strategic environment, there is a strategic reason it is very much worth doing—it is easier than the prospect of urgent wholesale, multiyear military rearmament in preparation for responding to an Article 5 event.

While Ukrainian troops may lack the symbolism that U.S. forces currently offer, they may more than make up for it with their real-life experience hunting and destroying advancing Russian forces and demonstrating that they can inflict damage on Russia by land, sea, and air.

For this to work, however, European leaders need to move quickly. Committing to Ukraine’s survival, and providing it with the means to ensure it does so, should be the consensus position. That means creating a viable plan for surging arms quickly and sustainably to Ukraine and working closely with Kyiv to hammer out a common security concept that brings Ukraine into the fold in full and in earnest. In this way, if European fears come to pass, with the United States no longer seen as a viable guarantor to trans-Atlantic security, Ukraine and its forces offer a ready-made and highly compelling alternative.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

The ZOA praises the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy announced on Wednesday (April 9) that, effective immediately, “the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests. . . . DHS will enforce all relevant immigration laws to the maximum degree, to protect the homeland from extremists and terrorist aliens, including those who support antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah aka: “the Houthis”.”

Shamefully, the next day, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)’s extreme left wing CEO Amy Spitalnick (who previously worked as the anti-Israel group J Street’s Press Secretary) shot off an obnoxious letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, questioning and attempting to undermine the new DHS policy to protect Jewish students and the American homeland from antisemitic terrorists and terror sympathizers who have made many Jewish students’ college experience into a living hell.

Why is JCPA’s CEO protecting terrorists, Jew-haters and terror supporters?

Among other things, the radical JCPA CEO wanted to know whether the U.S. administration is also precluding entry into the United States of people engaged in “anti-Muslim prejudice.”  At a time when antisemitic Islamists are attacking and calling for murdering Jews on campuses throughout the country, why in the world is the head of a Jewish organization trying to undermine DHS’s efforts, by pretending that the problem on college campuses is non-existent anti-Muslim prejudice?

Did the members of JCPA (which is an umbrella group of JCRC’s, etc.) approve of Spitalnick’s troubling letter?

The radical J Street-alumna/JCPA CEO’s questions also in essence demanded a “clear and transparent process for denial of entry” with “public reporting on the number of individuals denied entry and the reasons why” – as if antisemitic foreigners have some sort of right to enter the country. But, in fact, there is no “right” to immigrate to the United States.

As DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated: “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here. Sec. Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-Semitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here.”

It is tragic that hostile-to-Israel Jewish professionals such as JCPA’s Amy Spitalnick are abusing their podiums to try to throw up roadblocks against the Trump administration’s efforts to stop antisemites from endangering our Jewish children and fellow Americans.

[tomorrowusa]

We told you something like this might happen.

In 1994 the US, UK, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement which became known as the Budapest Memorandum. Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in return for security guarantees.

Of course Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum with its illegal invasions and Trump is in the process of cutting off aid and intelligence to Ukraine.

The lesson learned is that the US will not honor its security agreements and the only way to prevent attaick by neighbors is to acquire nuclear arms.

So Poland, a victim of Russian aggression in the past, now wants access to nukes.

Poland will look at gaining access to nuclear weapons and also ensure that every man undergoes military training as part of an effort to build a 500,000-strong army to face off the threat from Russia, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the parliament on Friday. Poland's dramatic military expansion comes as fears grow across Europe that U.S. President Donald Trump is aligning with the Kremlin and turning his back on America's traditional western alliances — a geopolitical shift that Warsaw regards as a potentially existential threat. Tusk said that Poland "is talking seriously" with France about being protected by the French nuclear umbrella. President Emmanuel Macron has opened the possibility of other countries discussing how France’s nuclear deterrent can protect Europe. Tusk also stressed that Poland cannot restrict itself to conventional weapons. "We must be aware that Poland must reach for the most modern capabilities also related to nuclear weapons and modern unconventional weapons ... this is a race for security, not for war," he said. He pointed to the example of Ukraine, which gave up is nuclear arsenal and is now being attacked by Russia.

Poland will also withdraw from some conventional arms treaties.

He also said Poland would take steps to withdraw from international treaties banning the use of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions.

Ukraine may not currently have nuclear weapons but that doesn't mean it can't make them.

Ukraine Can Go Nuclear — Should it?

Trump's abandonment of Ukraine is setting off a chain reaction which could easily spiral out of control.

[darkmaga-returns]

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump announced the nomination of PayPal co-founder Ken Howery to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, writing: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Greenland is incredibly resource-rich, with rare earth mineral deposits valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars, and its geopolitical position is incredibly significant to American interests vis-a-vis our Great Power rivals. Should Greenland fall under the Chinese umbrella, it will have devastating national security implications for the United States.

Denmark’s hyper-liberal political leadership has sought to preserve Greenland for Gaia, and Copenhagen has essentially cut the territory off from most human contact (other than tourism and the 50,000 or so people who live there) because they have bought into all of the climate hoaxes and DEI narratives of the times.

The current prime minister of Greenland, a socialist politician named Mute Eged, responded to the Trump post, declaring that Greenland is not for sale. Respectfully, Greenland is autonomous Danish territory, so its sale wouldn’t really even involve the locals, though it would be wise to accomodate their interests and get their eventual consent.

Don’t be surprised if the Trump Administration reaches out to Copenhagen and starts the very real process of negotiations over the future of Greenland. They can start by leveraging Denmark’s failure to live up to the two-percent defense spending threshold as a NATO member. The United States already maintains one military base in Greenland, known as Pituffik Space Base, which supports critical missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

Six of the largest banks in the United States have bowed out of the global Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), with the inauguration of Donald Trump predicted to bring political backlash concerning climate action, reported The Guardian.

The latest to withdraw is JP Morgan, which followed Citigroup and Bank of America. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo have also left the United Nations-sponsored NZBA since the beginning of December.

“JPMC is ending our membership in the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). We will continue to work independently to advance the interests of our Firm, our shareholders and our clients and remain focused on pragmatic solutions to help further low-carbon technologies while advancing energy security. We will also continue to support the banking and investment needs of our clients who are engaged in energy transition and in decarbonizing different sectors of the economy,” a spokesperson for JPMorganChase said in a statement provided to ESG Today.

The defections from NZBA come on the heels of exits from similar groups in the finance industry. In 2023, GOP litigation threats led to a mass exodus from an insurers’ net zero alliance, Bloomberg reported. And an asset managers climate organization disbanded from Vanguard Group — the second-largest money manager in the world — in 2022.

The breakup of worldwide climate associations has forced the regrouping of those in charge. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) serves as a finance industry net zero umbrella organization, and it ended last year with a message that it was going to distance itself from the other alliances. According to the latest update from GFANZ, it plans to make its advice available to financial firms that have made no commitment to a net zero pact, as well as those that have.

JPMorgan said on Tuesday that it plans to “continue engaging with GFANZ, among others, to advance pragmatic solutions and market conditions that can help further a low-carbon and energy-secure future,” as reported by Bloomberg.

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” - they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them! Get in contact with them on Facebook, shipping to the U.S. only, and tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

These ‘Scopes are due to release just in time for the first week of March, so we’re paying special HAPPY BIRTHDAY… to My Computer - “BOX”! Now, yes. Box’s actual birthday is hard to nail down since, you know, it was a pre-built HP machine sold through “Worst Try”, and parts of it have been replaced over the years, but it’s still chuggin’ along! So with a nod to Markiplier’s reliance on The Ship of Theseus, let’s enjoy memories of 2013.

Aries 

You get to start us off with realizing that BOX is Twelve Years Old! Not quite untested but not yet a teenager. There’s been some growing pains over the years, but at least it’s unlearned many of the things it was taught at birth, like running Windows 8! These days it’s mainly Ubuntu Linux and Windows 10, and with what it’s lacking in hardware that’s about as far as Windows will progress for it. So This Week… For those about to Age Out of Windows 10’s security umbrella who have no upgrade path beyond it, now’s the time to consider making a Linux Bootable Thumb Drive and testing out everything with it. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Taurus 

From its storage to its brain, BOX went from being a 6-Core computer to an 8-Core, which most folks would say is a great upgrade. But the problem is it was an AMD “FX” chip. For those not in the know, these chips were, shall we say, ”Inelegant”. Think of going to the grocery store, but in a fuel-sucking muscle car instead of a more conservative hybrid. So This Week… The best time of year for you is the winter. Your core body temperature is naturally high, so it’ll be good to cool down naturally. As for the CPU, it won’t matter. The stock cooler sucks anyway.

Gemini 

Let’s talk about that CPU a little bit more, though. What do you do with an old one? You use it to upgrade a different computer, of course! In this case it went to max out someone else’s computer, taking them from four cores to six, freeing up THAT one for a higher purpose yet to be described. So This Week… You really need to remember to take out the recycling. It’s easy - just set it next to the door so you take it with you as you head out for the day. And don’t just forget it in the back seat of your car this time.

Cancer Moon-Child 

We’re getting you something math related that will make very little sense. Computers are binary devices, so they work in multiples of two. And, subsequently, so would RAM as well. So you’d expect it to start with two, four, eight, or even sixteen Gigs of it, and you’d be wrong. It came with TEN Gigs. And before you say, “well maybe it was shared with video”, no - that was its own separate board. So This Week… It’s OK for you to feel off-kilter; it happens. Just take it easy, take it slow, and center yourself before you make any big moves.

Leo 

Remember how we told you about the Wil Wheaton Dice Curse last week? Well we’re using that again to finish the tale of the CPU Swaps. That four-core CPU finally found its way into Icarus’ infamous home server, “Hexadecimal” AKA “The Queen of Chaos”. She was named that because no matter what server OS was attempted to be loaded into it, it failed. It took finally trying Ubuntu Desktop to make it work - which made zero sense because the Desktop and Server versions are basically identical. So This Week… You know what Hex is missing, still? A SCSI (“Skuzzy”) card. Oh, there’s at least one iOmega-Branded one available from Adaptec, but who still uses them anymore?

Virgo 

If we’re going to talk about the computer naming adventure, it seems only fair that we get around to explaining how BOX got its name. Previous computers were named based on other computational gadgets from science fiction - so the laptop Icarus had was named “T-W-1-K-1”, “Tweeky”, from the old Buck Rogers TV series, which the smaller Netbook was “Dr. Theopolis”, the round face-thing Twiki carried around on his chest. So This Week… Go back to 1978 and watch “Jason of Star Command”. There’s one more “W-1-K-1” robot to be found. And he’s CUTE!

Libra

One thing we know you love is music - so it’s almost a given that you’ll get information about BOX’s sound. Normally it’s a given that computers these days have on-board sound and don’t need a specific add-in card to handle it; not like the days of yore. But this machine is weird in many ways, not the least of which is how it makes Old Man Body Sounds when there’s no sound to be playing. If you listen closely to headphones or speakers you can almost hear the motherboard talking to the other parts of the system. So This Week… Turn on Closed Captions for your YouTube surfing and see how that works for you. And if you want a challenge, change it to a different language.

Scorpio 

Ok, ok. We’ll let you in on the secret to BOX’s name. Believe it or not it comes in two flavours, both are factual, both are accurate, and both can be denied when pressed for the other. The mundane answer is because desktop computers are often referred to by the term, “box” - kinda the same way that Cylons and Protogens are sometimes called “toasters”. But the more fun one, and harder to just stumble across, is the character from the 1976 movie “Logan’s Run” named “Box”. It was a cyborg covered in disco-ball mirrors who was tasked with freezing food for a post-apocalyptic Earth. So This Week… There was an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation where they encountered a capsule with people cryogenically frozen from the late 20th century. The ship's name was the “S.S. Birdseye”. Remember to eat your vegetables.

Sagittarius 

You might like to know a little something about the computer that preceded BOX. It was named, “FrankenPuter”, because it was cobbled together from a lot of spare and old parts. And before you think the name was just for fun, the chassis and original parts were literally picked up on the side of the road that someone was throwing away. It worked well enough until the memory controller ate itself, which made BOX a necessity. So This Week… You know how there’s the old adage that The True Treasure Is The Friends We Make Along The Way? Well, FrankenPuter was not a friend and not a treasure. Sometimes you just have to replace the riff-raff you accumulate when you didn’t know what you were doing.

Capricorn 

Being almost done with the boring parts of that computer, it’s time to give you something wild to consider: from the front it almost looks like the Knight Industries Two-Thousand. The cassis is glossy black with silver trim and a bright red bar light across the middle. The only thing missing is any motion in it from side to side. So This Week… There’s a semi-official Universe Canon that says that “Knight Rider” exists in the same universe as “Battlestar Galactica” because of “Battlestar Galactica 1980”! If you want it to be worse in your head, go watch the movie “Megaforce” and watch the motorcycles.

Aquarius 

Instead of giving you boring minutia, we’re treating you to the cake! The best damned ice cream cake you could ask for; home made and not just out of the freezer from Carvel. It’ll take a while to make the ice creams, since we’re doing Vanilla and Coffee Chocolate, but it’ll be worth every drip off your spoon. So This Week… If you have the ability to make your own ice cream, do that. Yes it’s still winter, but why not have a little fun, right?

Pisces  

Well, not only is it the computer’s birthday, apparently somepony VERY close to you is sharing a birthday as well… Basically =YOU=! So Happy Solar-Orbital Natal-Reset Moment to you! The question is - what’s funnier? Turning forty years old… or REFUSING to turn forty? And now you understand why Jack Benny's running gag worked for literal decades! Because everyone’s just a little vain for themselves. So This Week… Cake is wonderful, but how about splurging on excellent quality food for one full day? Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner - and none of them came out of a frozen box. Let’s start with a Western Omelette and add, get this… Extra Bacon! Happy Birthday, my fellow Fish Faces! And thanks for being good to each other.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Facebook, Ko-Fi, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[mitchipedia]

The way to end the Gaza war has been clear for nearly a year

David Ignatius at The Washington Post:

What’s agonizing is that Israeli military and intelligence leaders were ready to settle this conflict nearly a year ago. Working with U.S. and Emirati officials, they developed a plan for security “bubbles” that would contain the violence, starting in northern Gaza and moving south, backed by an international peacekeeping force that would include troops from European and moderate Arab countries.

In place of Hamas, a Palestinian government, backed by a reformed Palestinian Authority, would take political control. This wasn’t a pipe dream. Officials worked out a detailed road map. They began planning to train the Palestinian security force that would replace Hamas. This was, as golfers like to say, “a makeable putt.”

But Netanyahu said no. His right-wing coalition partners demanded “total victory,” even though they couldn’t define just what that meant.

Also:

The Israeli-Palestinian dispute might seem intractable, but ending this conflict would be relatively easy. I’m told that Israeli military officials keep working on “day after” plans, honing details as recently as this week. But they have had no political support from Netanyahu.

“The ‘exit ramp’ has been staring us in the face for a long time,” argues Robert Satloff, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. It’s a mix of Arab states and Gaza Palestinians, operating under a Palestinian Authority umbrella, he explains. “It is messy, with overlapping responsibilities and lots of dotted lines. But it checks all the boxes to enable the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation to get off the ground.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

It has officially arrived: ByteDance-owned TikTok is (temporarily) banned in the USA. Late Saturday evening at around 10:30PM ET/9:30PM CT/7:30PM PT, before the TikTok Ban law was set to officially take effect, users of the app in the USA got this message: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok right now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.” Apple and Google app stores have removed the app, meaning that you cannot download the app or update the app. Not only is TikTok temporarily banned, but also Lemon8 and CapCut, which are under ByteDance’s umbrella. The ban on TikTok stems from President Joe Biden (D) signing the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) on April 24th, 2024, after the House passed it 360-58 on April 20th (the original House version passed it on March 13th, 2024 352-65), 2024 and the Senate passed it on April 23rd, 2024 79-18. The bill required ByteDance to divest TikTok and its subsidiaries to a buyer not controlled by a foreign adversary. The Supreme Court then unanimously and disgracefully ruled 9-0 per curiam in TikTok v. Garland on January 17th, 2025 that the law banning TikTok is valid.

The ban on TikTok is a nationwide tragedy, along with the return of felon-elect Donald Trump to the White House. The ban on TikTok has zero to do with national security, but a way to squelch pro-LGBTQ+ and pro-Palestine sentiments. The app’s ban would be very disastrous to music consumption and discovery, as its influence in the music world has risen within the last five years.

Read the full post at my Substack.

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

THESE ARE MY 20 PROMISES TO YOU AND ALL OF AMERICA:

1. SEAL THE BORDER AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION

2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY

3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN

4. MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR

5. STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING POWERHOUSE

6. LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS

7. DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS

8. PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY -- ALL MADE IN AMERICA

9. END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

10. STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS

11. REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.

12. STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD

13. KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD'S RESERVE CURRENCY

14. FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE

15. CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS

16. CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN

17. KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTS

18. DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN

19. SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP

20. UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS

Make no mistake, there are people, born in this Country, raised in the greatest Nation on earth, who do NOT want a few, some, most, ALL of the above from happening.

They are Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, Socialists, or putting them all together, you can cover them with the umbrella of . . . .

COMMUNISTS !!!

[mariacallous]

For 75 years, America’s NATO allies have relied on the U.S. nuclear arsenal to provide for the defense of Europe. This was never a terribly logical policy. As Lawrence Freedman, the doyen of British strategic historians, put it in these pages back in 1981, “The United States would be irrational to commit suicide on behalf of Western Europe, but NATO has not found this fact a decisive flaw it its strategy.”

The linchpin of the policy was a firm European belief in the steadfast commitment of Washington to the security of Europe. Today, that no longer holds: As two nuclear experts recently wrote in Foreign Policy, “The credibility of the U.S. nuclear umbrella has now been shattered by Trump.” America First leaves no room for alliance solidarity.

Europe must act in accordance with this reality. Luckily, plans for a European nuclear deterrent exist in the archives, and the European Union would do well to dust them off. The Kennedy administration’s proposal for a Multilateral Force (MLF) offers a workable blueprint for a pan-European nuclear deterrent.

Minus America, Europe finds itself unarmed in a dangerous, nuclear world. The arms control regimes developed during the Cold War have been abrogated by both the United States and Russia. China, never a signatory to the bilateral U.S.-Russia agreements of the Cold War, now seeks to expand and upgrade its own nuclear deterrent. Achieving a trilateral nuclear arms agreement would always have been tough, but without the Cold War agreements in place, the task is nigh impossible. To make matters worse, nuclear proliferation means that there are now nine nuclear powers, and Iran is on the brink of becoming the 10th.

These are powerful incentives for the EU to develop a pan-European nuclear deterrent. Relying on Washington to provide extended nuclear deterrence for Brussels is an increasingly dubious proposition. And in this nuclear world, the actors with seats at the negotiating table to forge new nuclear arms control agreements will need to be nuclear powers themselves. If Europe wants to promote nuclear arms control, it paradoxically needs to go nuclear first.

The French and British nuclear deterrents can offer a stopgap capability, especially if France joins NATO’s nuclear planning group, which it should, but over the long term, a transnational European solution is necessary as neither Paris nor London have enough nuclear weapons to secure all of Europe and neither has tactical nuclear capability, which is a critical component in escalation management. And while the Franco-British deterrent may provide short-term cover, it won’t overcome the reality that has kept NATO alive for 75 years—that a U.S. security guarantee was better than one from France or Britain.

With the credibility of the U.S. guarantee in tatters, European states may wish to revisit their own nuclear capability: As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in March, “We would be safer if we had our own nuclear arsenal.” But the pursuit of a new nuclear capability by any one state in Europe is likely to trigger a security dilemma for the others—if Germany were to go nuclear, would this reassure Poland, or would it incentivize Warsaw to develop its own capability? Just as the United States used nuclear sharing to manage proliferation in early Cold War Europe, Brussels would do well to manage this situation proactively via a shared European nuclear project. Moreover, the development of a nuclear arsenal is extremely costly and difficult. Coordinating a pan-European deterrent would be more economical, focusing efforts against external threats rather than internal competition.

The solution to these myriad challenges is a collective European finger on a collective European nuclear launch button. The best way to do this would be to dust off early Cold War plans for the MLF.

The MLF was a proposal to create a fleet of surface ships and submarines, crewed by European NATO allies, with the intent of giving those allies multilateral ownership and control in the nuclear defense of Western Europe.

A 1957 Belgian-Dutch report noted concerns in Europe that “the continental members of NATO do not feel adequately protected by strategic nuclear weapons which are not available either to these individual members or to the NATO community.” The Kennedy White House was particularly worried about West German nuclear ambitions and potential Franco-German nuclear cooperation. The nascent Italian nuclear program was also under close U.S. observation. The State Department’s Policy Planning Staff concluded in 1965 that the MLF “could do more to avert the spread of nuclear weapons than a non-proliferation agreement.”

The MLF was to put around 200 missiles under European control, giving the force the capability to destroy between 25 and 100 Soviet cities in countervalue strikes, designed to deter any Soviet first use. The project got so far as deploying a guided missile destroyer, the USS Claude V. Ricketts, with 174 U.S. officers and crew, integrated with crew from NATO allies, including West Germany, Turkey, and Italy. U.S. Navy Secretary Paul Nitze praised the deployment as a success.

But the NATO MLF was hampered by disagreements between Washington and the allies over basing and financing the cost of the program, as well as staunch British opposition to the idea. London preferred instead to maintain its special nuclear relationship with Washington, rather than lose it to some pan-European enterprise. In a world only two decades removed from the end of the war, the idea of a German finger on the button also attracted satirical derision. But although the MLF never fully materialized, the idea at the center of it—shared command and control—is well suited for 21st-century Europe.

Ideally, a European MLF would have at its core an Anglo-French component, as both countries currently field continuous at sea deterrents based on wholly different technologies. Whereas the French deterrent is entirely independent, the British one is not, as it is highly reliant on U.S. technology.

The first step toward a strategic deterrent manifested in a European MLF would be to begin training and integrating European officers and crew into the existing French and British platforms to develop an understanding of nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered submarines. This has the additional benefit of reassuring other European powers as to the Anglo-French commitment to European nuclear deterrence. At the same time, the EU should field special tenders for the development of a European nuclear submarine fleet. France has extensive experience with nuclear submarines, and Germany and Sweden are preeminent producers of conventional submarines. A European consortium with collective funding could develop a new nuclear-powered attack submarine for Europe—one that might eventually be shared with countries such as Australia.

Another, much quicker option is to expand the current British Dreadnought submarine program to Europe (and Australia). The reliance of these submarines on U.S. Trident missiles would require at the very least a redesign of the current “common missile compartment” scheme so that the European boats could perhaps carry French M51 missiles or the design of a new pan-European system so that the European system is completely independent of the United States. For London, there is a real threat of U.S. pushback against U.K. cooperation with the continent—but perhaps that alone should be incentive for Britain to make such a move.

The second order of business would be for the new European Nuclear Weapons Agency to create a tactical nuclear capability. The easiest way to do this would be to adapt the Storm Shadow/SCALP EG and Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles to accept a nuclear payload, which would provide Brussels with the necessary incremental, escalatory capability for a convincing deterrent.

For 75 years, nuclear sharing in NATO has provided the United States an ability to manage proliferation and served as a strong tool of alliance management. But the only thing certain with the Trump administration is uncertainty, and Europe must plan accordingly. Although U.S. extended deterrence theoretically still covers NATO allies, European countries would be foolish not to develop a pan-European nuclear alternative.

Doing so manages the security dilemma in Europe, will deter aggression, and will put the EU in a stronger position to push for nuclear arms control agreements. In a best-case scenario, a European nuclear deterrent will strengthen NATO, and in the worst-case scenario, if the United States abandons Europe, the continent will not be defenseless.

[theinternetisaweboflies]

Jägermeister

Chapter Seventeen: Black Market

PPDC-43-CA-10963842491 ATTN: UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INTERNAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES  HONG KONG SHATTERDOME BUNKER 47B (17-B-3) 01/23/25 1441  TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT ORCON Classified by: LER-OPNS-IDH Dated: 2025JAN23 Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals

R. MORI: Excuse me! 

DOG HOWLING 

R. MORI: I need to see the Marshal immediately! 

DOG HOWLING 

S.O. TEBUTT: He’s in a meeting with the Secretary General!

DOG HOWLING 

R. MORI: It will only take [unintelligible]!

DOG HOWLING 

S.O. LINDUM: You can’t just [unintelligible]!

DOOR OPENING

DOG HOWLING 

S.G. KRIEGER: What the [unintelligible] is going on?

DOG HOWLING 

S.O.: TEBUTT: Ranger Mori is here to see you, sir!

DOG HOWLING

S.G. KRIEGER: I’m in a meeting! 

DOG HOWLING

R. MORI: I’m so sorry to interrupt, Secretary General! It’s Max- He won’t stop crying! 

DOG HOWLING

M. HANSEN: Come here, you ugly old mutt. 

R. MORI: I think he’s missing his master.

M. HANSEN: Yeah, I know you miss him, Max. I do too. Thank you, Ranger Mori, I’ll take him from here. Dismissed. 

R. MORI: Yes, sir. 

DOOR CLOSING

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: Oh, that’s right. I don’t believe I’ve expressed my condolences yet. 

HANSEN: Thank you, Secretary Krieger. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Please, call me Dustin! There’s no need to be so formal when it’s just the two of us!

M. HANSEN: Oh, well, thank you, uh, Dustin. You can call me Herc. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Of course, Herc!

M. HANSEN: I’m sorry about Max, and once more, I’m really sorry for being so late. There was a fire in the men’s loo off the Jaeger Bay. I don’t know why they called me. I’m not that kind of bloody Marshal. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Don’t worry about it! I know what it’s like to get bothered with a problem well below your paygrade! 

PAUSE

M. HANSEN: Right. Well, enough small talk. Why don’t we get down to brass tacks? 

S.G. KRIEGER: You're a straightforward guy. I like that. I’m the same way. 

M. HANSEN: Glad to hear it, Dustin.

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: Since the end of the war, there have been talks to dissolve the PPDC. I know, that’s gratitude for you, but people want to put the war behind them. If we want to save the PPDC, we need to restructure it as a fully civilian organization, bringing everything under my umbrella: Security, Medical, transport- even the eggheads in the science division. 

M. HANSEN: To do what exactly?

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: Robots for Humanity. 

M. HANSEN: I beg your pardon?

S.G. KRIEGER: Just picture it. Jaegers rebuilding the regions around the Pacific Rim that were most damaged by the kaiju. We would rebrand as the Pan Pacific Development Corp. Wouldn’t even need to print new mugs. 

M. HANSEN: You want to use Jaegers to.. build houses? I think they’re a bit better at knocking ‘em down, mate. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Oh, it would mostly be for publicity, of course. We don’t want robots taking away people’s jobs! Just kidding, but we can get labor for cheap with the Wall of Life project now defunct. The Jaegers would ostensibly be to bring in donors, but we would keep development going, just in case the kaiju came back. 

M. HANSEN: The Breach is closed. 

S.G. KRIEGER: For now. Even if it’s closed for good, well, there have always been wars of one kind or another. How long do you really think we can all hold hands and sing Kumbaya, Herc? Soon enough, peacetime will come to an end. There will be war. Jaegers will be used to fight it. By the time that happens, the UN will have ceded control of the PPDC to the United States of America.

M. HANSEN: Wh- What? Why would they do that?

S.G. KRIEGER: We have a plan in place, but I’ll be honest: If we could bring the Jaegers directly into the U.S. Armed Forces, it would turn our ten-year plan into a five-year one. The only reason we were going to jettison the military division was because we knew Pentecost would never go for it, but I think you might be different, Herc. You know how the world works. You could still have a place at the new PPDC. Now, I know you’re technically Australian, but you don’t have to be.  

PAUSE

M. HANSEN: That’s very generous of you. I feel obliged to accept. 

S.G. KRIEGER: I knew it. I’ve never gone wrong trusting my gut. 

M. HANSEN: Do you really think people will let the U.S. take control of the PPDC like that?

S.G. KRIEGER: Of course they will! We stopped the war. Everybody knows Mori ejected before the payload was delivered. That was our guy! An American! Not to mention your Dr. Geizer. I will admit, I didn’t anticipate his level of celebrity, but well, if anything… people love a martyr even more. 

M. HANSEN: What are you saying?

S.G. KRIEGER: Don't act naive, Herc. I thought you were supposed to be the war-hardened vet. The doctor is an important asset, but we aren’t unrealistic about his chances for long-term survival. We’ll tell everyone it was a tragic consequence of his drift with the kaiju. It'll barely be lying. 

PAUSE

M. HANSEN: Let me make sure I understand. Dr. Geiszler is part of this- our plan?

S.G. KRIEGER: It’s called Operation Keepsake. Well, his involvement was also unanticipated, but now we’re hoping to use him to understand the hive mind. That was how he put it in his official report, right? A hive mind. Fascinating stuff, I’m sure. Of course, I didn’t understand most of it myself, but I got the gist. If two humans can pilot a 250-foot Jaeger, just think about what we could accomplish by applying hive mind technology.

PAUSE

M. HANSEN: So that’s why you asked Dr. Geiszler to meet you off-site.

S.G. KRIEGER: Well, he could hardly disappear from the hotel either! We needed to take custody of him, officially, but we needed an excuse to do it, since he was about to be cleared by medical. Fortunately, the Buenakai were already providing us with a Kaiju brain. All we had to do was pay them a little extra. 

M. HANSEN: Then why did you raid the bunker?

S.G. KRIEGER: Oh, well, that’s not important. The import-

M. HANSEN: Oh. I get it. They cut you out. You were used to the American Buenakai, who come from Kentucky and have never seen a Kaiju outside the 1:100th scale statues in their megachurches, but this wasn’t them. This was the Hau Wong Buenakai, who saw the double event and didn’t blink. Basically, they took the ransom and tried to kill the hostage anyway. Did I get that right?

S.G. KRIEGER: Well, of course the Chinazis sold us out, but we had everything under control.

M. HANSEN: So now you’re going to make Dr. Geiszler drift with the kaiju brain again. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Exactly!

M. HANSEN: Which is exactly how the damn doomsday cult was planning to reopen the Breach.

S.G. KRIEGER: That’s completely different. Besides, with the hive mind on our side, we could take the fight to them!

M. HANSEN: Well, I can see why you’re so keen on the idea of the hive mind.

S.G. KRIEGER: I knew you would be-

M. HANSEN: Considering you don’t seem to have one of your own. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Excuse me?

M. HANSEN: Well, you did just monologue your evil plan. The cult didn't even do that.

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: You- You’re making a big mistake, Marshal. You have no idea what you’re going up against. It'll be your word against mine, and Representative Taylor is an old col-

M. HANSEN: Actually, it’ll be your word against the both of ours. 

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: What- What are you talking about?

M. HANSEN: Secretary Taylor isn’t going to want anything to do with you if this recording goes public.

S.G. KRIEGER: You bugged the damn dog?

M. HANSEN: He has a name, you know. 

S.G. KRIEGER: Officer Tebutt! Get-

M. HANSEN: Before you try anything especially stupid, you should know that I took some precautions. I had Dr. Gottleib handle the cybersecurity, so this recording is already backed up to the cloud. If he doesn't enter a code once a day, the news goes straight to the UN and TMZ. You should also know that he is a very punctual man. 

S.G. KRIEGER: This is blackmail! 

M. HANSEN: I’m so glad you understand.

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: What do you want?

M. HANSEN: Dr. Gottleib will keep entering that code on three conditions. One: You leave the Hong Kong Shatterdome now. Two: You resign from the PPDC tomorrow morning. Three: You never come near me or mine again.

S.G. KRIEGER: You- You’re just a damn grunt. I should have known you wouldn’t understand politics. You forget that I still have a piece in the game.

M. HANSEN: This isn’t a damn game, mate.  

S.G. KRIEGER: I still have your man. 

M. HANSEN: No, you don’t. 

PAUSE

S.G. KRIEGER: Dr. Geizer-

M. HANSEN: Dr. Geiszler is safe and sound. You can check in with the officers you assigned to him, if they pick up for you. The Security Office is still under my command, and more importantly, they’re my goddamn comrades- brothers, sisters, and siblings-in-arms, every last one of them. We were here at the end of the world, while you were cooling your heels Stateside. I may not understand politics, Dustin, but I don’t think you understand war.

...

@lastdaysofwar