I’m continuing to follow events and right now the only thing I’m prepared to say is that too many things are not adding up. Nothing about Las Vegas makes any sense (a SF NCO who can’t make an IED?), and there are gaps in too many things there, New Orleans, and elsewhere.
Parts of this are reminding me uncomfortably of The Attack and if you have not read it I do recommend it. Parts are reminding me of the old Keystone Cops movies. Parts, well, parts of it are making my hackles rise with hints of what is out there.
Interesting that a well-funded and organized demonstration just happened to take place in NYC the day after the attack, just like they did after Oct. 7. No, I don’t believe in coincidences but I do believe in enemy action.
Buckle up as there is turbulence ahead. My advice is to take care of last minute prep and be prepared. Hunker down, avoid crowds and other clear targets. Lot of stuff going on that isn’t yet tripping the coverage but that could change. Be prepared. Keep your loved ones close and your things where you can find them in the dark.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
The combination of weather and terrorists potential actions will make this inauguration season interesting.
I also find the LV incident puzzling. Perhaps the wife can explain, or point the Feebs to a manifesto that will. But it makes no sense to give your life for a symbolic gesture against Trump. And as you say, SF NCOs should be able to build better bombs.
I’ve been a forensic pathologist/Medical Examiner for about 40 years. I’ve investigated thousands of deaths. One conclusion I’ve come to is that no matter how odd someone’s behavior seems, you really can’t rule it out because it’s irrational. People can get caught up in delusions that warp their perceptions so much that they act as if they are living in a parallel universe where none of the things we take for granted are true. And that doesn’t count the people who are actively psychotic and hallucinating.
This is particularly true for people who decide to sacrifice themselves for a cause — whether it’s spontaneous, due to the indirect agitation of others, or directed and managed by others. It’s nothing new. I’m reminded of the famous death tour of the great early Church Father Ignatius of Antioch, who was condemned to death by Rome while in Antioch. Instead of being killed in Antioch, he was transported to Rome to be fed to lions in the Colosseum. For some reason, his captors took the overland route rather than going by sea. He was bound in chains and went through Smyrna, Philadelphia, Troas, Neapolis, and Philippi. At each stop, he was (oddly) allowed to meet with Christian congregations and wrote letters to various congregations discussing his trip and impending death. Of import, he viewed his death to be the best possible culmination of his career and worried about the possibility that Christians along the way might rescue him against his will. Eventually he got his wish and was killed by beasts, traditionally by Trajan at the festival of Apollo in 116 AD (though some place it later). Most Christians celebrate his desire for martyrdom. In fact, in the early church, those believers who compromised and poured a libation in sacrifice to the emperor rather than be killed were held in great contempt.
The point of this is that the drive for martyrdom can be strong, supported within an insular community, and can be an end itself. In the case of some suicide bombers, etc., it would not surprise me if maximizing the deaths of others is a *secondary* effort. It’s more an excuse for martyrdom rather than the primary result. It may be that it’s not that the LV bomber didn’t know how to make an IED. It may be that he was hampered in his efforts to get the appropriate materials in a timely manner, and let his desire for martyrdom on an important date — Jan 1 — overcome his desire to make the best possible bomb.
After all, it’s no easy matter to get good bomb components over the internet anymore. I remember being able to buy dynamite at the local farmer’s Co-Op in Oklahoma. When I was a kid, we used to blast limestone to build underground silos using ammonium nitrate and diesel. We’d drill a six foot hole in the bedrock, fill it with 5 feet of ammonium nitrate and oil, and half a foot of dynamite to set it off.. It worked great. You can’t do that now. I can’t even buy ammonium nitrate to fertilize my garden.
Great comment!
Never underestimate a person’s ability to delude themselves to protect their egos. When a person is failing in life and has to choose between admitting to themselves that they are a low value loser or that they are a courageous soldier fighting a great evil, they will choose the latter every single time.
Christian martyrs are persecuted and killed by outside forces simply for refusing to recant their beliefs. Being faithful to God means you get eternal life in heaven. This is why they celebrate.
Please don’t compare that to people who kill themselves and/or others to try and force others to capitulate to their beliefs/politics. The two couldn’t be more different. People who use violence against themselves and others are terrorists, not martyrs.
Like the FBI, I totally blame the trouble on white nationalism.
Clearly on a team that did not take cross-training seriously (he was an Echo and an intel Sgt.
if a SF NCO should be able to make a better IED but didn’t does that imply he didn’t want to?
It now appears that MSG Livelsburger committed suicide immediately prior to detonating the explosives. The explosives didnt kill anyone. Which indicates to me that he didnt plan to kill anyone other than himself.
LW,
Been following you for a year or so but havent interacted until now.
(Fellow Hoosier)
Will this get buried like the last event in LV?
At this point, I’m wondering if it won’t get buried. Thanks for following, glad to hear from a fellow Hoosier!
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action”
– Ian Fleming –
I have to wonder about a fire which leaves a person burnt beyond recognition yet leaves behind a legible military ID card. Also, aren’t Cybertrucks capable of self-driving?
Apparently self driving mode has to be engaged by a live driver, and the car has a IR camera that tracks the driver’s eye movement to keep it engaged. Elon Musk has not indicated that it was.
His uncle said he was a Trump supporter but he was registered as No Labels. His estranged wife donated to Democrats.
OK, the news are now reporting that MSG Livisburger and his wife parted ways about a week before his suicide in LV, with her alleging infidelity on his part. He was forward deployed in Germany at 1st Bn 10th SF Group, while she apparently stayed in Colorado. That is a recipe for infidelity and divorce.