TT
@tathompsonks.bsky.social
Tech, national security, and public policy with a side of aviation, sports, and hot takes
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Views are my own.
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TT
@tathompsonks.bsky.social
· Jan 26
I've seen a lot of "what can I do to stop this" over the last few days.
I want to take a minute to talk about how you engage with your Member of Congress to create change.
Tldr: Call. Don't email, don't tweet, don't fax, don't write. Call.
I want to take a minute to talk about how you engage with your Member of Congress to create change.
Tldr: Call. Don't email, don't tweet, don't fax, don't write. Call.
Reposted by TT
This is the absolute truth:
Not the main point, but also incredibly stupid. If this were an actual anti-drug or anti-terrorist operation, you'd want to take these people alive for intelligence purposes.
November 29, 2025 at 4:19 AM
This is the absolute truth:
Reposted by TT
It is unfathomable that the USG lawyers would sign off on a no-survivors boat strike (no get of jail free card).
There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well.
The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well.
The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
November 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM
It is unfathomable that the USG lawyers would sign off on a no-survivors boat strike (no get of jail free card).
There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well.
The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well.
The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial
www.usni.org/magazines/na...
Reposted by TT
So there's layers to this
The TSOCs in a specific AOR are under the OPCON of the Geographic CCMD and have a DIRLAUTH-esque coordinating relationship with the SOCOM mothership
SOCOM's unilateral global CT authorities have been de facto delegated solely to JSOC
The TSOCs in a specific AOR are under the OPCON of the Geographic CCMD and have a DIRLAUTH-esque coordinating relationship with the SOCOM mothership
SOCOM's unilateral global CT authorities have been de facto delegated solely to JSOC
I don't know exactly where you go beyond that in rooting out the special operations cult of lawlessness, but an immediate start would be abolishing SOCOM as its own combatant command and requiring, by law, such operations be conducted only through the regular geographic commands.
November 28, 2025 at 10:17 PM
So there's layers to this
The TSOCs in a specific AOR are under the OPCON of the Geographic CCMD and have a DIRLAUTH-esque coordinating relationship with the SOCOM mothership
SOCOM's unilateral global CT authorities have been de facto delegated solely to JSOC
The TSOCs in a specific AOR are under the OPCON of the Geographic CCMD and have a DIRLAUTH-esque coordinating relationship with the SOCOM mothership
SOCOM's unilateral global CT authorities have been de facto delegated solely to JSOC
Reposted by TT
…Team 6 officer told me of the 2017-19 Somalia strikes.
That still didn’t mean targeting civilians or trying to redefine what a combatant is, but it did mean a move from striking identified Shabab leaders to striking Shabab basic training camps full of teenage recruits to get maximum EKIA count.
That still didn’t mean targeting civilians or trying to redefine what a combatant is, but it did mean a move from striking identified Shabab leaders to striking Shabab basic training camps full of teenage recruits to get maximum EKIA count.
November 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
…Team 6 officer told me of the 2017-19 Somalia strikes.
That still didn’t mean targeting civilians or trying to redefine what a combatant is, but it did mean a move from striking identified Shabab leaders to striking Shabab basic training camps full of teenage recruits to get maximum EKIA count.
That still didn’t mean targeting civilians or trying to redefine what a combatant is, but it did mean a move from striking identified Shabab leaders to striking Shabab basic training camps full of teenage recruits to get maximum EKIA count.
DC is a wonderful place and I'm sorry she never got to realize her dream.
Sarah Beckstrom's ex-boyfriend told NBC News she dreamed of becoming an FBI special agent.
She didn't want to deploy to D.C.
"She hated it. She cried about it."
But she started visiting monuments and museums and started enjoying it.
May she rest in peace.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
She didn't want to deploy to D.C.
"She hated it. She cried about it."
But she started visiting monuments and museums and started enjoying it.
May she rest in peace.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
National Guard member killed in D.C. shooting remembered for 'heart of gold'
The slain soldier’s former boyfriend recalled her empathy and generosity. “She doesn’t even have to know you and she’ll do anything for you,” he said.
www.nbcnews.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:26 PM
DC is a wonderful place and I'm sorry she never got to realize her dream.
Reposted by TT
Trump: I will kill the drug cartels
Also Trump: Pardoning a powerful drug trafficker
Also Trump: Pardoning a powerful drug trafficker
“Additionally, I Will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that | greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly.”
November 28, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Trump: I will kill the drug cartels
Also Trump: Pardoning a powerful drug trafficker
Also Trump: Pardoning a powerful drug trafficker
I fully appreciate the situation these elected officials are in. But here's the deal:
Holding public office isn't just about getting wined and dined my lobbyists. Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions.
If not you, then who?
Holding public office isn't just about getting wined and dined my lobbyists. Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions.
If not you, then who?
November 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
I fully appreciate the situation these elected officials are in. But here's the deal:
Holding public office isn't just about getting wined and dined my lobbyists. Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions.
If not you, then who?
Holding public office isn't just about getting wined and dined my lobbyists. Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions.
If not you, then who?
Reposted by TT
Beyond depraved: "Hours after her detainment, court documents obtained by ABC News show that a federal judge ordered the government not to remove the 19-year-old from the U.S. and not to transfer her outside of Massachusetts. But Lopez Belloza was deported to Honduras the next day."
November 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Beyond depraved: "Hours after her detainment, court documents obtained by ABC News show that a federal judge ordered the government not to remove the 19-year-old from the U.S. and not to transfer her outside of Massachusetts. But Lopez Belloza was deported to Honduras the next day."
Reposted by TT
Hi everybody,
It's Black Friday, a big day for us at The Onion, since we rely almost entirely on your memberships.
Our goal for 2026? More print subscribers than the Washington Post.
This is, somehow, feasible.
So sign up! A year of print is $75 for the year today. Help us do a very funny thing.
It's Black Friday, a big day for us at The Onion, since we rely almost entirely on your memberships.
Our goal for 2026? More print subscribers than the Washington Post.
This is, somehow, feasible.
So sign up! A year of print is $75 for the year today. Help us do a very funny thing.
Join The Onion
Don’t just read the news. Feel it. Be among the first to feel the news.
membership.theonion.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Hi everybody,
It's Black Friday, a big day for us at The Onion, since we rely almost entirely on your memberships.
Our goal for 2026? More print subscribers than the Washington Post.
This is, somehow, feasible.
So sign up! A year of print is $75 for the year today. Help us do a very funny thing.
It's Black Friday, a big day for us at The Onion, since we rely almost entirely on your memberships.
Our goal for 2026? More print subscribers than the Washington Post.
This is, somehow, feasible.
So sign up! A year of print is $75 for the year today. Help us do a very funny thing.
Using SEAL Team 6 to kill everyone on a fishing boat is like nuking an ant.
I have questions about the willingness to accept such an order from these losers.
I have questions about the willingness to accept such an order from these losers.
Gift link. Folks in the DOD and military are actively trying to underbus Hegseth.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
wapo.st
November 28, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Using SEAL Team 6 to kill everyone on a fishing boat is like nuking an ant.
I have questions about the willingness to accept such an order from these losers.
I have questions about the willingness to accept such an order from these losers.
Reposted by TT
An illegal order was given. An illegal order was followed.
This puts into context the reaction of the Trump admin to the video by Democratic lawmakers urging troops not to follow illegal orders.
Now it’s illegal orders to kill foreign nationals. Next it could be illegal orders to kill Americans.
This puts into context the reaction of the Trump admin to the video by Democratic lawmakers urging troops not to follow illegal orders.
Now it’s illegal orders to kill foreign nationals. Next it could be illegal orders to kill Americans.
November 28, 2025 at 6:26 PM
An illegal order was given. An illegal order was followed.
This puts into context the reaction of the Trump admin to the video by Democratic lawmakers urging troops not to follow illegal orders.
Now it’s illegal orders to kill foreign nationals. Next it could be illegal orders to kill Americans.
This puts into context the reaction of the Trump admin to the video by Democratic lawmakers urging troops not to follow illegal orders.
Now it’s illegal orders to kill foreign nationals. Next it could be illegal orders to kill Americans.
Reposted by TT
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
If it walks like a war crime...
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:18 PM
If it walks like a war crime...
Got this from my 16 year old niece who's in Chicago for a bit and apparently getting some first amendment practice in.
The kids are going to be alright.
The kids are going to be alright.
November 28, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Got this from my 16 year old niece who's in Chicago for a bit and apparently getting some first amendment practice in.
The kids are going to be alright.
The kids are going to be alright.
Reposted by TT
The Trump DOJ played down the risk of deploying the National Guard to DC, despite warnings, and now one of them is dead. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 28, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The Trump DOJ played down the risk of deploying the National Guard to DC, despite warnings, and now one of them is dead. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Just to be clear, the reason they were smirking in press conferences yesterday was it gave them the excuse they needed to do this.
Trump: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries … denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.“
November 28, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Just to be clear, the reason they were smirking in press conferences yesterday was it gave them the excuse they needed to do this.
Reposted by TT
The people running the government social accounts should be held accountable for their hate speech.
Homeland Security doesn’t grasp the fact that the first Thanksgiving was about making “room at the table” for European “invaders.”
November 28, 2025 at 2:06 AM
The people running the government social accounts should be held accountable for their hate speech.
Reposted by TT
There is literally no reason for the military to be in D.C.
November 28, 2025 at 4:13 AM
There is literally no reason for the military to be in D.C.
Reposted by TT
Four of Trump's five children have an immigrant mother, and the one who doesn't is married to the son of two immigrants.
Trump makes the outrageous claim that “most” immigrants, which include over 25 million U.S. citizens, “are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels.”
As insulting as the “deplorables” comment, and on Thanksgiving day no less.
As insulting as the “deplorables” comment, and on Thanksgiving day no less.
Trump calls Tim Walz “seriously retarded”
November 28, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Four of Trump's five children have an immigrant mother, and the one who doesn't is married to the son of two immigrants.
Strong disagree on this, sadly. They saw what happened to Acosta. The corporates are terrified of retribution.
No one wants to be the first. I guarantee that once someone breaks the seal and says something, others will feel more confident doing so moving forward. Courage is contagious
I can’t tell if it’s cowardice or some fucked up sense of decorum that makes no sense in the current environment with this fuckin guy
November 28, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Strong disagree on this, sadly. They saw what happened to Acosta. The corporates are terrified of retribution.
Reposted by TT
Let's not confuse the people giving the stupid orders with the people who have to deal with following them, who are often good and decent people.
Apparently she offered to cover other people's shifts so they could go home to their families for the holiday.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/u...
Two National Guard members were tasked with serving the nation. One is dead as the other fights for his life after shooting | CNN
On a day when many families gather across the country to give thanks, a National Guard member’s family is mourning her death after an ambush-style shooting in Washington, DC, as her colleague fights f...
www.cnn.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Let's not confuse the people giving the stupid orders with the people who have to deal with following them, who are often good and decent people.
Reposted by TT
NYT knows perfectly well the DC shooter got asylum under Trump, but they get multiple orgasms at a chance to mention Biden's name again.
The Trump administration said on Thursday that it was reviewing all asylum cases that were approved under the Biden administration, signaling a broad crackdown in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members.
U.S. Reviews Biden Asylum Cases After Shooting
A Homeland Security Department spokeswoman accused the previous administration of failing to vet asylum applicants “on a massive scale.”
nyti.ms
November 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
NYT knows perfectly well the DC shooter got asylum under Trump, but they get multiple orgasms at a chance to mention Biden's name again.
Reposted by TT
Reposted by TT
He worked with the CIA. He was amongst the most vetted Afghans ever.
Pirro: "This is what happens in this country when people are allowed in who are not properly vetted"
November 27, 2025 at 9:47 PM
He worked with the CIA. He was amongst the most vetted Afghans ever.