Dead Drop: December 9

SUPPORT FOR MILITARY TANKS: The U.S. military woke up this week to news that their public trust and confidence among the U.S. public has dropped from 70 to 48 percent over the past four years, according to a survey conducted by the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute.  The sharp decline is worse than any other public institution, according to the poll.  As bad as the numbers are, a slight silver lining is that they were even worse last year, with the military getting only a 45% positive vote. There is some speculation that those numbers were depressed by the debacle of the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.  The Washington Post notes that among the factors cited for why the public is not happy with the military, is the perception that uniformed leadership have become too politicized. The Pentagon can’t win for losing.  Many Republicans blame them for being too “woke” while many Democrats think there are too many right-wing extremists in uniform. The lack of confidence plays out in the service’s recruiting woes.  The survey says only 13 percent of 18-29-year-olds are “highly willing to join the military.”  Among the other takeaways from the poll: a majority of Americans are supportive of continuing aid to Ukraine, 60 percent have a favorable view of NATO and three quarters view China as America’s main enemy. If you think that only 48% of the public having high confidence and trust in the military sounds bad, consider this: high trust and confidence numbers for Congress and the media are even worse at only 9 percent.

DISINFORMATION ON PUTIN?  We have no idea if this item from the New York Post is true or not but is so detailed and embarrassing that it has the whiff of disinformation. We share it only for what it’s worth. The Post claims that the Russian president fell down the stairs and soiled himself last week at his Moscow residence. Always consider the source, right? The source is a Telegram channel which claims to be the work of a “former Russian spy.” The allegation is that Putin fell down five steps before landing on his coccyx and due to pain, experienced the unfortunate involuntary response – which also was said to be a result of ongoing stomach and bowel cancer. The Post also claims that three bodyguards helped their leader get to a nearby couch and summoned medics.  If the incident did happen –apparently it was a short-term matter because Vlad was pictured the next day touring a Moscow laboratory.  The whole story has a stench of disinformation to us – except for the fact that the Kremlin felt the need to deny it.  Newsweek reports that a Russian spokesperson responded to their question about the alleged incident saying:  “Regarding your request, we can say that this is completely untrue.”