News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. ‘With So Much At Stake’ SASC Rushes To Confirm Biden’s SecDef
2. Behind the Strategic Failure of the Capitol Police
3. Extremists vow to return to Washington for Joe Biden's inauguration
4. US lawmakers say police downplayed threat of violence before Capitol siege
5. Breaking: Computers with Access to Classified Material Stolen from Capitol
6. An Air Force Combat Veteran Breached the Senate
7. US Space Force Becomes 18th Member of U.S. Intelligence Community
8. Most Covid-19 Patients Have At Least One Symptom 6 Months On: Study
9. Wuhan COVID Infections 3 Times Higher Than Official Figure, China Study Says
10. Open-source sleuths are already unmasking the Capitol Hill mob
11. ‘We are in danger of losing our republic,’ Air Force strategy chief says in wake of Capitol attack
12. Department of Defense Announces New Appointments (Commission on Naming Bases)
13. Ideology or interests? China's strategy to deceive the West
14. Yes, you can still get infected with Covid-19 after being vaccinated. Here's why
15. Parler users call Trump's concession video "deep fake," and worry he'll "sell us out"
16. How disinformation evolved in 2020
17. Biden’s NSC to focus on global health, climate, cyber and human rights, as well as China and Russia
18. Military Most to Blame for Helicopter Noise Around DC, New Study Finds
19. The Importance of Civic Education in a Creedal Nation
20. How to reduce the spread of fake news - by doing nothing
21. U.S. Diplomats Draft Dissent Cable Following Storming of Capitol by Pro-Trump Mob
22. 2020 tied with 2016 for Earth’s hottest year, as global warming overpowered La Niña
23. Is Graphic Design the C.I.A.’s Passion?
24. Patriots of Pineland | Our State
1. ‘With So Much At Stake’ SASC Rushes To Confirm Biden’s SecDef
breakingdefense.com · by Paul McLeary
2. Behind the Strategic Failure of the Capitol Police
Politico – by Garrett M. Graff – 8 January 2021
The postmortem will go on for some time (until the next event/crisis).
3. Extremists vow to return to Washington for Joe Biden's inauguration
NBC News · by Anna Schecter · January 8, 2021
I hope there is a red team doing the pre-mortem analysis now before the inauguration. And one thing I would include in the analysis is what if there is a left-wing extremist component "competing" at this inauguration?
And then the foreign influence possibility needs to be understood and addressed.
4. US lawmakers say police downplayed threat of violence before Capitol siege
All military (and security) failures are from a failure to learn, failure to adapt, and failure to anticipate (Cohen and Gooch).
5. Breaking: Computers with Access to Classified Material Stolen from Capitol
sofrep.com · January 8, 2021
Hmmm....Very troubling on many levels if this report is accurate.
6. An Air Force Combat Veteran Breached the Senate
The New Yorker · by Ronan Farrow · January 9, 2021
It is social media that may also bring down these insurrectionists. For the next event what are they going to do about social media and how will they execute better OPSEC?
I also saw a CNN report noting that the zip ties were taken from an emergency box inside the capitol building and were not brought with them so the allegations of a premeditated intent to hold hostages may not be an accurate assessment.
7. We have to change our lexicon and now say 18 agencies in the intelligence community.
defenseone.com · by Patrick Tucker
8. Most Covid-19 Patients Have At Least One Symptom 6 Months On: Study
Barron's · by Kelly Macnamara
Almost every friend I know who has had COVID says they have persistent symptoms and some of them are quite debilitating and others are just very annoying. But it is the long-term damage that we still have to learn about. This is not the effing flu.
9. Wuhan COVID Infections 3 Times Higher Than Official Figure, China Study Says
english.chosun.com – 9 January 2021
No surprise unless it is only 3.
10. Open-source sleuths are already unmasking the Capitol Hill mob
Wired · by Matt Burgess · January 8, 2021
This is what will bring down the insurrectionists. They will want to film themselves for their strategic messaging. So, the next time I expect we will see everyone wearing masks, and not masks to prevent the spread of COVID but masks to prevent identification.
11. ‘We are in danger of losing our republic,’ Air Force strategy chief says in wake of Capitol attack
airforcetimes.com · by Stephen Losey · January 8, 2021
Wow.
This is quite a statement from a serving officer.
But the bottom line from a wise friend is: "You either believe in the peaceful transition of power after free and fair elections, or you don’t."
The problem is the losing side of an election does not think the elections were free and fair despite there being no credible evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election.
12. Department of Defense Announces New Appointments (Commission on Naming Bases)
defense.gov – 8 January 2021
These four are going to be the subject of much ire and probably a lot of hate mail.
13. Ideology or interests? China's strategy to deceive the West
The Hill · by Bradley A. Thayer and Lianchao Han · January 3, 2021
Conclusion:
In reality, the distinction between ideology and interest is false. Ideology largely defines interests. Ideology defines why the CCP brutalizes the Uighurs, Tibetans and other ethnic peoples, and the Hong Kong and Chinese democracy activists. It defines why the CCP must destroy liberal democracy and confront the U.S. Equally, it is ideology that explains why the U.S. must defend itself from China’s aggression.
Liberal democracy is foundational for the U.S. — the cause of its revolution, the source of its strength, a symbol for people around the world. Liberal democracy provides a future vision for international politics that is inspiring, in sharp contrast to China’s vision. Yet China has launched an ideological battle for the future — who gets to define the world’s values is now contested space. This is a war between two value and political systems, between freedom and tyranny, between right and wrong, good and evil. It is in the interest of the U.S. to win it.
14. Yes, you can still get infected with Covid-19 after being vaccinated. Here's why
CNN · by Eric Levenson
15. Parler users call Trump's concession video "deep fake," and worry he'll "sell us out"
Newsweek · by Daniel Villarreal · January 7, 2021
Delusional? Dangerous? Or both?
16. How disinformation evolved in 2020
The Brookings Institution · by Josh A. Goldstein and Shelby Grossman · January 4, 2021
Conclusion:
Information operations and impact
The extent to which social media influence operations pose a threat is still an open question. On a tactical level, some of the operations clearly have limited impact. For example, in a recent operation attributed to the Royal Thai Army targeting Thai Twitter users, the average number of engagements per tweet (calculated as the sum of likes, comments, retweets, and quote tweets) was just .26 engagements. At the same time, on a broader strategic level, the threat may be more significant. Social media manipulation has second-order effects—citizens may believe these operations are successful, which erodes trust in the larger information ecosphere. As governments work to develop responses, it is imperative to begin with an understanding of how these operations work in practice, and to think through likely tactical innovations to come.
17. Biden’s NSC to focus on global health, climate, cyber and human rights, as well as China and Russia
The Washington Post · January 8, 2021
I want to know who is going to be the "Asia Czar?" And of course, who will be the Special Representative for north Korea as well as the Ambassador for north Korean human rights?
18. Military Most to Blame for Helicopter Noise Around DC, New Study Finds
military.com · by Oriana Pawlyk · January 8, 2021
Unbelievable. I live less than 1 mile from the Fort Belvoir airfield and while we have some helo overflights once in a while there are no low-level flights and I see the flight route from Ft Belvoir to the Pentagon and DC to be along I95/395. There are no significant noise issues.
19. The Importance of Civic Education in a Creedal Nation
realclearwire.com · by Mike Sabo
Excerpt: "Citizens, however, can give their “allegiance to a set of principles as embodied in a constitutional order” only if they understand “those principles and that order.” George worries that too many younger Americans are “woefully ignorant not only of their national history but also of the principles and institutions of the American constitutional order,” a situation that suggests “a profound failing of civic education at every level.”
It is not just younger Americans who are woefully ignorant (or at least as I observe the discourse on social media - you can just start with the invocation of the first amendment by those who are banned from Twitter and Facebook as an example - we do not even understand the basic concepts of the 1st Amendment).
20. How to reduce the spread of fake news - by doing nothing
Nieman Lab · by Tom Buchanan · January 5, 2021
An interesting argument.
Conclusion: "So to reduce the effects of false information, people should try to reduce its visibility. Everyone should try to avoid spreading false messages. That means that social media companies should consider removing false information completely, rather than just attaching a warning label. And it means that the best thing individual social media users can do is not to engage with false information at all."
21. U.S. Diplomats Draft Dissent Cable Following Storming of Capitol by Pro-Trump Mob
Foreign Policy · by Robbie Gramer, Colum Lynch · January 8, 2021
22. 2020 tied with 2016 for Earth’s hottest year, as global warming overpowered La Niña
The Washington Post – by Andrew Freedman - January 8, 2021
23. Is Graphic Design the C.I.A.’s Passion?
The New York Times · by Ezra Marcus · January 8, 2021
24. Patriots of Pineland | Our State
ourstate.com · by Kevin Maurer
An old story but is making the rounds on social media for some reason.
I am a proud graduate of Pineland University.
"Extremism in defense of liberty is not a vice, but I denounce political extremism, of the left or the right, based on duplicity, falsehood, fear, violence and threats when they endanger liberty."
- George W. Romney
"Non-violence is not a passive idea. It is ethical activism at its political best."
- Ela Bhatt
"I am deeply disturbed by the senseless violence instigated by some leaders in pursuit of their personal political agenda."
- Mwai Kibaki