Pearl Harbor Day is tomorrow

The New Neo Posted on by

[NOTE: This is a revised and expanded edition of a post first published in 2006.]

Eighty-four years ago tomorrow, Pearl Harbor was attacked.

That’s long enough ago that only a vanishing few remember the day and its aftermath with any clarity. Many generations – including my own tiresome one, the baby boomers – have come up since then, and the world has indeed changed.

Prior to 9/11, the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941 was the closest thing America had to 9/11. The differences between the two are profound, however: at Pearl Harbor we knew the culprit. It was clearly and unequivocally an act of war by the nation of Japan, which was already at war in the Pacific.

But it was, like 9/11, a sneak attack that killed roughly the same number of Americans – in the case of Pearl Harbor mostly (although not exclusively) those in the armed forces. And the Pearl Harbor attack, in the reported (but disputed) words of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto, awakened the “sleeping giant” of the US and filled it with a “terrible resolve.”

In the case of Pearl Harbor, that resolve lasted the duration of the war, an all-out conflagration that required far more sacrifice of the US (and the world) in money, comfort, and the all-important cost of human lives. The scale of such a loss is not even remotely comparable to that of our present conflicts. In addition, the first years of World War II featured some losses and much peril. It was a different world, however, and failure was not considered an option.

Yes, mistakes were made in World War II. Mistakes always will be made in war. The tactics and even the strategies of World War II don’t fit today’s wars. But tactics and strategies aren’t the issue – although they are extremely important. The overarching issue is will. Without that, a war cannot be won. And, in that respect as in many others, current generations don’t compare to the one known as “The Greatest Generation.”

For some contrast, go back to FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech (a misquote, it turns out: he actually said “date which will live in infamy”). Following are some of the less famous quotes from the speech; I have selected them because they speak to the question of will. FDR was assisted in mustering that will by the relative clarity of the enemy and its intent in World War II. But it still seems to me, on reading these words, that such unequivocal determination could not be summoned today in the US, even if given the exact circumstances of the infamous attack of December 7, 1941. It may, however, be present in Israel at the moment, but I’m not completely sure:

…No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces – with the unbounding determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.

Making Trucks Great Again

The New Neo Posted on by

I have to admit that I know next to nothing about trucks. But apparently they have been so highly regulated in recent years that their prices have become exorbitant.

Trump is attempting to improve that situation:

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that Trump is not entirely rolling back the CAFE standards, which were enacted into law by Congress in 1975. Instead, Trump is getting rid of the Biden-era rules that added to the law, forcing automakers to spend billions on technology that no one wants or can afford.

What is done by executive order can be undone by executive order – unless some district judge in Hawaii decides it can’t. But then it’s also the case that it can be undone once again by a subsequent president of the opposite persuasion. And on and on it goes.

But enjoy, for now.

Lies that get halfway around the world, and then become entrenched

The New Neo Posted on by

We’ve seen it many times before. Whenever there’s a murder or a terrorist attack that has some political overtones, first reports are that the person was/is a Trump supporter.

This also happened with the J6 pipe bomber suspect. The usual unnamed sources tell the MSM the person is MAGA, which gives the media license to report it, and so often it turns out to be untrue.

Just like the idea the Hegseth ordered a hit on two guys clinging to the wreckage of a completely destroyed boat, saying “kill them all.”

Or what later became known on the right as the Charlottesville Hoax, but known on the left as “proof that Trump is a white supremacist.”

The MSM is willing to put out these poorly-sourced stories that are later found to be false, for the simple reason that they know a great great many people will continue to believe them. That’s why, for example, Joe Biden was able to kick off his 2020 campaign with the utterly debunked Charlottesville Hoax; because for so many Democrats, it had become entrenched not just as truth, but as a foundational truth about Trump. A lie doesn’t just get halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its boots on, but often the lie stays entrenched in people’s minds.

This is especially true, of course, if the lie takes the form of confirmation bias. If a person already “knows” that Trump is a racist, any further “evidence” of that “fact” will find a welcome home and be extremely difficult to dislodge.

One of the strongest beliefs for well over half of Americans is that behind the JFK assassination was some sort of shadowy cabal of powerful plotters. It’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that this was not the case, but it has barely affected that deeply-held belief in the conspiracy. I was reminded of this yesterday when I listened to a bit of an interview between Russell Brand and head conspiracy theorist Candace Owens. Both are popular podcasters, and Owens is currently peddling a host of conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Brand was questioning her and evinced some doubt about what she was saying, but then he added something like this, “Of course, for my whole life I’ve been hearing that JFK was killed by a lone gunman, and of course that’s false, and so I’m open to what you’re saying.”

That, in a nutshell, is the sort of thing that paves the way for poison peddlers such as Owens. “Everybody knows” certain things that are actually untrue, and those things foster the conspiratorial mindset that can believe just about anything. When the belief system becomes strong enough, for many if not most people no logic and no amount of evidence can destroy it.

What’s in a name? That which we call a knucklehead by any other name would smell as sweet

The New Neo Posted on by

Trump called Tim Walz a “retard,” and Walz is understandably miffed:

TIM WALZ says that people are driving by his house and using the term ‘retard.’

“This creates danger… we know how these things go, they start with taunts, they turn to violence.”

Well no, Tim. The term “retard” is rude, but doesn’t usually lead to any violence – except, perhaps, in Nazi Germany, where they killed disabled people as “life unworthy of life.”

In this country, however, calling someone “Nazi” or “Fascist,” as the left is inclined to do, is more likely to lead to violence against the person so labeled. And in fact, as luck would have it, Walz himself has used terms like that for people on the right, or even for law enforcement. For example, here he called ICE agents “modern-day Gestapo” (he mispronounced the word, but it was clear that’s what he meant). And here’s some of Walz’s oh-so-gentle rhetoric about Trump:

Those words are far more likely to incite violence compared to “retard,” which is very mild in comparison.

And of course, during the 2024 campaign Walz called himself a “knucklehead,” which means “a stupid, bumbling, inept person.” He was being too kind. Knave and fool.

What’s going on with Candace Owens these days?

The New Neo Posted on by

Nothing good. And why would I even pay attention?

Well, she supposedly has something like the most views of any podcaster. Are they supporters, or just people following her out of morbid curiosity? What’s more, are they real, or are they just bots sent by entities trying to stir up trouble? Whichever it is, I believe she does have much influence with a significant number of people.

If you aren’t familiar with the extremely far-fetched conspiracy theories she’s airing, about Jews and the Macrons and about Turning Point and Egyptian planes and all the rest, here’s a pretty informative summary. I’ve cued up about an 11-minute segment, but you don’t even have to watch that much to get the flavor of it:

Turning Point finally answered her ridiculous charges recently, challenging her to some sort of debate, which she apparently sort-of kind-of accepted in the sense of saying she would offer a response on her own podcast. This whole thing is a distraction from what TPUSA does best, which is getting out the vote, especially among young people. But it seems to me that’s part of the goal of Owens, Tucker, Fuentes, and the lot: to split the MAGA base, if possible.

Speaking of which, this is as good a time as any to mention that Tucker Carlson has become a 9/11 truther. Hey, why ever not? And of course, he tries to implicate Israel.

The J6 bomber suspect: roundup

The New Neo Posted on by

(1) From the start, I think it’s been assumed that whoever the J6 pipe bomber might be, he or she was connected to J6, either as sympathizer, decoy, or saboteur. But I’m beginning to think that it’s at least possible that the timing was a coincidence. After all, the bombs were placed the day before, and in general it was a time of great turmoil in DC and around the US.

(2) And then there’s Jake Tapper’s assumption, even as he was showing a photo of suspect Brian Cole, that said suspect was a white man.

(3) There are plenty of rumors swirling around about Cole. You can see some here. I don’t really get into the rumor thing, especially at this early date.

(4) It seems that during Biden’s tenure (or pretend-tenure), neither the FBI nor the DOJ were all that interested in getting to the bottom of this. At any rate, I think this is correct in stating that Cole is probably the actual pipe bomber.

(5) On yesterday’s thread on the subject, there was some discussion about the case being weak. For example, see this comment:

NO EXPLOSIVES? Literally, no explosives make it into the FBI criminal complaint!

This may be amended to include it, admits Kyle Seraphin, the expert Viva Frei interviews, says. A different and almost uninterrupted interview is just over 20m, HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29arVE9xDTk

This may be better to digest.

Or this

Viva Frei hosts an ex-lawyer and FBI Whistleblower to break down the criminal complaint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUuXkItROj0

This expert says the details identifying Brian Cole, Jr, are the weakest he’s ever seen in such a Federal document. By itself iits a mere 7 pages! “It’s a bizarre story line.”

If true, this case may well not be closed.

I see nothing especially bizarre about it.

Also, please look at the document itself and see what it is actually about and what its purpose is:

Because this affidavit is being submitted for the limited purpose of establishing probable cause in support of a criminal complaint, I have not included each and every fact known to me concerning this investigation. I have only set forth the facts that I believe are necessary to establish probable cause that Defendant violated 18 U.S.C. §§ 844(d) & (i).

By no means is it meant to be comprehensive.

Updates on the J6 pipe bomber arrest

The New Neo Posted on by

Interesting stuff coming out.

The DOJ says that all the evidence was there, but the Biden administration wasn’t especially interesting in solving the case. Why is that no surprise?:

Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference announcing the arrest of Brian Cole Jr. that existing evidence led to the FBI’s breakthrough in a cold case that had “languished” for nearly five years.

“What I will tell you is that evidence has been sitting there collecting dust,” Bondi said. “This wasn’t a new tip. It wasn’t some new evidence. It was the hard work of President Trump’s administration.”

Bondi said federal investigators were able to identify Cole after spending months “sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI with the Biden administration.” She said bringing charges against Cole was not a result of any new witnesses or leads but rather “good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work.”

In addition:

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia reviewed by USA TODAY, Cole lives in a home with his mother and other family members.

Which explains the nice house.

And:

Cole’s credit card and checking account records showed that he purchased multiple items as early as October 2019 through late 2020 consistent with the components used to manufacture two pipe bombs placed at the RNC and DNC offices, according to his 7-page charging document.

Cole bought components including a galvanized pipe, end caps, electrical wire, battery clips and white kitchen timers, court records also said. Investigators tracked Cole’s purchases at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and Micro Center.

The suspect bought items including safety glasses, a wire-stripping tool and a machinist’s file, which could be used to make pipe bombs, records also said. Cole then allegedly continued to buy the components after the pipe bombs were found, including a kitchen timer, more nine-volt batteries and galvanized pipes during January 2021. …

Provider records show Cole’s cell phone connected with towers consistent with his being in the area of the RNC and DNC offices on Jan. 5, 2021.

In addition, court documents continued, a Virginia license plate registered to a 2017 Nissan Sentra that he owns was captured on camera the same day at 7:10 p.m., at the South Capitol Street exit from Interstate 395 South. That’s “less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot,” the records said.

Seems like a fair amount of evidence to me.

There’s nothing much coming out about possible ties to groups like Antifa, or about possibly being an anarchist.

ADDENDUM: The suspect has been working for a bail bond company.

And then there’s the poetry book

The New Neo Posted on by

I had originally thought Gerard’s poetry book would be ready for sale by November 1.

Dream on.

Then it seemed highly likely it would be ready by December 1. But then I ran into printer troubles. Trust me – you don’t want to hear the details. So the following is a very quick summary.

I didn’t want to use the print company I’d used for The Name In the Stone, even though I liked the quality of that book, because I wanted a company that would also do the mailings. I found such a company, but the quality of the photos in their proof copy was substandard. So I went back to the original company and ordered a proof from them, thinking I’d figure out a way to deal with the mailings but at least I was pretty sure the print quality would be excellent.

Today I got that proof in the mail, and the quality of the photos was bad. It was completely different from The Name In the Stone, which they had printed for me about a year ago. When I called the company to find out what’s going on, I discovered a little factoid they’d neglected to mention earlier: some time during that year, they had changed their printing machines. Often, when people make a change of that sort, it’s an improvement. They’re not even contending that this was an improvement; it was a downgrade.

Needless to say, I’m unhappy about this. I ended up ordering one more proof from them, though, this time with a different kind of paper they said should help approximate the photo quality of the essay book from last year. I wonder, but I guess I’ll find out.

I still think the poetry book might be ready before the holidays, which was certainly my original plan. But maybe not. I think it’s more important to get it looking right than to rush it for the holidays.

Minnesota judge tosses jury conviction of Somali couple for fraud

The New Neo Posted on by

Who needs a jury? – says a Minnesota judge, who decided to throw out one of those convictions for fraud we’ve heard so much about:

Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife, Lul Ahmed, were charged in June 2024 and were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while operating a home healthcare business. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office said the business lacked an office building and operated for “years out of a mailbox.”

The attorney general’s office said Yusuf received Medicaid money by billing for services not provided and services that lacked “any documentation,” and overbilled for services.

Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund a “lavish lifestyle,” including shopping sprees at luxury stores such as Coach, Michael Kors, Nike, Nordstrom and more.

A jury found the couple guilty. But the judge, Sarah West (who looks to be about twelve years old, going by her photo at the link) threw the verdict out because she said the evidence was circumstantial. The jury foreman begged to differ with her ruling:

Ben Walfoort, the jury foreperson in Yusuf’s case, said the decision to convict wasn’t a complicated one.

“It was not a difficult decision whatsoever,” he said, according to KARE. “The deliberation took probably four hours at most. Based off of the state’s evidence that was presented, it was beyond a reasonable doubt,” Walfoort said. “I am shocked. I’m shocked based off of all of the evidence that was presented to us and the obvious guilt that we saw based off of the said evidence.”

Most criminal convictions are based primarily on circumstantial evidence. You know that West has done something really unusual by the fact that Keith Ellison has challenged her ruling:

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, led by Democrat Keith Ellison, has filed an appeal of West’s decision to overturn Yusuf’s verdict.

Remember the J6 pipe bomber?

The New Neo Posted on by

He or she has long been a mysterious figure, one whom the Biden administration seemed to have less interest in pursuing despite relentlessly hounding everyone else concerned with J6. Now someone has been caught who is purportedly this bomber, but we still know very little about him:

A suspect was arrested Thursday morning and charged with transporting explosives and attempted malicious destruction in connection with the planting of pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Federal agents swarmed the Woodbridge, Va., home of 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. following the break in the case that has vexed and embarrassed the FBI for nearly five years. …

Authorities did not publicly indicate any motive for the crime, with one high-placed FBI source rejecting earlier claims that Cole may have had “anarchist” leanings.

Neighbors in the suburban cul-de-sac described a young man who shunned most human interaction and doted on a pet Chihuahua.

So far he seems to be a type of person with whom we’ve become quite familiar: a cipher who may have lived his main life online, except for venturing out into the real world to commit a criminal act. It’s premature to come to any conclusions, although my guess is that a sizable number of people will automatically think he’s the proverbial patsy.

Another aspect of the story is that about a month ago, there was this:

Thursday’s arrest also firmly debunked a prior report from The Blaze. In early November, reporter Steve Barker claimed the suspect had been identified as former Capitol Police officer Shauni Kerkhoff. Barker added that Kerkhoff had quit the force six months after the riot and then “slipped quietly into a three-letter intelligence agency,” fueling the conspiracy theory that the Capitol riot was an inside job.

I skipped that story at the time because it seemed way too shaky.