TAKING HONORING THE FALLEN TOO FAR? U.S. Air Force leadership is extending military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by a security officer as she tried to climb through a broken window of a locked door inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. When Babbitt was buried, her family asked for funeral honors since Babbitt had served five years on active duty and several more in the Air National Guard. But the request was turned down because at the time, participating in an insurrection was considered conduct unbecoming. That was then. Now, Undersecretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeir has overruled the previous decision writing to Babbitt family lawyers that “after reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.” The decision to grant the honors has gotten mixed reviews. Retired Lieutenant General Mike Flynn was quoted as saying: "May Ashli Babbitt now Rest In Peace and her family gain some measure of solace for the wonderful person she was and the light of truth she brought to each of us.” While former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former member of the Air National Guard, said “Babbit dishonored her service by committing insurrection against her country. While her death is absolutely tragic and I wish it hadn’t happened, the Air Force giving her honors is in itself a dishonor." In May, the Trump administration ordered payment of $5 million dollars to the Babbitt family to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
HEY, LET’S LET BYGONES BE BYGONES: In keeping with undoing rights – or wrongs – of the past, The New York Times reports that the Pentagon has ordered West Point to restore a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to the Military Academy’s library where it was on display until three years ago. The (much larger than life) 20-foot-tall portrait honoring one of the leaders of the insurrection against the United States in the Civil War had been hanging around the library for 70 years. No word on any plans to put up any portraits of Benedict Arnold who commanded the fort at West Point in 1780 under George Washington (and before USMA was established.)
WHO NEEDS MAVERICK? Military Times notes that National Geographic is about to launch a new six-part documentary offering viewers a chance to ride along as Navy and Marine Corps student pilots participate in “six months of high-stakes aerial training, brutal physical demands, and emotional reckoning, where only the top performers earn the chance to fly the most coveted aircraft.” The series, called “Top Guns: The Next Generation” premieres on September 16 and then starts streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the following day. But we have a link to the trailer.
TUCKER TRUTHER TALES: Former Fox News personality and current homemade media mogul Tucker Carlson posted a teaser on X recently about his upcoming 5-part documentary called “The 9/11 Files.” If you don’t really wanna watch it but want a rundown here goes: Tucker basically tells us that 9/11 is a complete lie and that the 9/11 Commission report “is a joke.” The first episode drops on September 11th…followed by one segment a week for four more weeks. The series has drawn a lot of incoming fire on social media with some noting that in 2012, Carlson was publicly calling 9/11 truthers “parasites” and saying “It’s filthy to say things like (what they were saying) with no evidence, and you have none, so you should stop.” But a lot has apparently changed. Now, Carlson seems eager to adopt controversial views – whether traveling to Moscow to embrace Vladimir Putin, or more recently asking why he should think badly of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad, or hosting on his show someone who said the U.S. got World War II all wrong and we should have allied ourselves with that Hitler fellow.
SOURCES ACTUALLY MATTER: We don’t know exactly what stories Carlson is now embracing to convince himself that everything you’ve heard about 9/11 is wrong. But one of his sources in the series is former FBI agent Mark Rossini. Loyal readers of The Dead Drop may remember that Rossini has been claiming for years that the CIA (where he was detailed) would not let him tell his FBI colleagues about certain al Qaeda operatives. Rossini was later arrested and drummed out of the Bureau for passing sensitive Bureau information to his girlfriend. And just last week, Rossini pled guilty to campaign finance charges of illegally passing $300,000 foreign money to the campaign of a candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico. Sounds to us like Tucker should spend a little more time cultivating more credible sources.
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